A Warlock's Revenge
by Katoteros21
Summary: Sequel to A Witch Scorned. As Castle and Beckett's wedding approaches, a name from the past returns to wreak havok on the happy couple. With a new case and problems at every turn, they have to wonder, "Will we ever make it down the aisle?"
1. Chapter 1

**So I wrote this for Camp NaNo in April, as a sequel to A Witch Scorned. I hope you like it.**

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**Chapter One**

"No, Castle." Kate sighed, exasperated by his exuberance. "We are not having a chocolate cake covered in fudge sauce. That is an after dinner delight, not a wedding cake." She got up and headed for the kitchen, in search of more wine. Undeterred Castle followed, intent on extolling the virtues of said dessert.

"C'mon Kate, it's chocolate." He looked at her expectantly, hoping the unspoken 'enough said' was plain to see.

"No. The perfect wedding cake is, and always has been, a sponge cake." She poured herself another glass and held the bottle up for him.

Nodding, he placed his glass on the counter and continued. "But everybody loves chocolate. It's a win-win." He spotted Alexis hurrying down the stairs. "A-ha! There she is. Alexis! Don't you think a chocolate wedding cake would be perfect?"

The young woman barely stopped on her way out. "Sorry Dad, gotta go, I'm already late. And no, a wedding cake should be a Victoria sponge with strawberry jam." She added before shutting the door firmly behind her.

Kate hid her grin at Castle's crestfallen expression. "See Rick, even Alexis knows what cake she wants at her wedding."

"She was supposed to side with me, she loves chocolate cake." He moaned, staring at the closed door, until he realised what his fiance had said. "Her wedding?"

"Yes Castle, there isn't a girl alive who hasn't dreamt about her wedding day. Alexis will no doubt already have plenty of ideas about her own." Kate told him, walking around the counter to join him. "Just like I have. And in mine, our wedding cake is a Victoria sponge with a plum jam and buttercream filling topped off with a vanilla icing."

"Sounds delicious, but I'm not completely sold on that idea." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I mean, I had my heart set on chocolate. I may need some convincing."

Smiling at his obvious ploy, she leaned up and kissed him soundly on the lips, intent on helping him to see the light. Things were just getting interesting when another voice intruded on their moment.

"There are more than just chocolate and plain sponge you know." Martha called out as she sashayed down the stairs. "There are many other wonderful flavours you can try." Unwilling to separate, Kate and Rick just lifted their heads to look at the older woman. "For example, there is a gorgeous lemon sponge in that little bakery just down the street from here. Whenever I head in that direction I can't resist going in for a piece. It's just exquisite."

"Thank you Mother, but we were hoping to narrow the choice, not expand it." Castle said, reluctant to release Kate, but knowing he needed to if they were going to actually make a choice.

"Don't knock it til you've tried it Richard. I'm telling you, just give it a go. They have many lovely cakes in lots of styles and flavours. Go down there and try some. Trust me, it'll help." With those parting words Martha swept out of the loft, telling them not to wait up.

"She has a point you know." Kate said, sitting down at the counter and pulling a pad and pencil towards her. "We just automatically chose our favourites, without actually doing a taste test. Maybe we should arrange one to help us decide."

"You're right, Kate." Castle replied, pulling out the number for the bakery. "I'll call them first thing in the morning to arrange it. Hopefully we can come to an agreement quickly."

Kate nodded, thinking a little about it. "Maybe we can compromise. A wedding cake is traditionally make up of several layers right?" At Castle's nod, she continued. "So maybe we can have a different flavour for each layer. That way everyone can have a piece of whatever flavour they like."

Rick's face lit up at that. "Of course!" He pulled the pad back over towards him and started to write whilst he spoke. "We can have plain, lemon, strawberry and chocolate. With each layer identified by colour and design."

"So lemon is yellow, strawberry is pink, chocolate is brown and plain is white." She watched as he added the colours next to the flavours. "Which way round should we structure them?"

"How about we put the plain at the bottom, then the lemon and the strawberry, followed by the chocolate at the top." He suggested, knowing from previous experience that most people chose the sponge over chocolate. When he got no response he looked over and found her staring at him with a look of awe and bewilderment on her face. "What?"

"You were adamant you wanted a chocolate wedding cake and yet you'd be willing to put it at the top, as the smallest piece?" She asked, confused and amused in equal parts by him.

"In my experience, most people prefer sponge over chocolate, so it makes sense to put the most commonly chosen flavour at the bottom." He told her solemnly, displaying his experience on the subject. "Whilst many people like a piece of chocolate cake on occasion, when they're at a wedding it's traditional to have a sponge or fruit cake, so it's what they expect. I'm not saying we should cater to everyone else, but we shouldn't stray too far from tradition either."

Overcome with love for the man in front of her she leant in and kissed him sweetly.

"What was that for?" He asked, when he got his breath back.

"Just because." She shrugged, not wanting to elaborate.

Seeing her discomfort at his question, he let it slide and kissed her once more, softly and full of love. "It's likely that only a few people would choose to have a piece of fudge covered chocolate cake. Which means it would suit a smaller section." He suddenly grinned at her impishly. "And likely leave more for me."

Kate smiled at the re-emergence of the nine-year old on a sugar rush, before taking another sip of her wine. "What did you mean about the design of it?"

"Well, we could have each section be a different shape, or have a design on each piece to differentiate the flavours." He listed several ideas, giving Kate the opportunity to make the decision.

He watched and waited as she took a few moments to go over the choices in her head, visualizing each one to see which she preferred. They were all equally good ideas, but with the wedding being so close they needed to keep it simple, yet elegant. "I think we should just go with the colours and add some edible stickers to each layer, with a picture of each flavour on them."

Castle smiled at her before writing her ideas down and attaching the card so he could call tomorrow with the details. "That sounds perfect, Kate." Getting up he took her hand and led her to the study. "Shall we watch a movie?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" She asked as he set her on the couch and headed for the tv.

"I've got the new addition to the Avenger series if you're interested." He told her, knowing full well she couldn't resist it.

"You've got Thor The Dark World?" She asked excitedly.

He smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded as he found out the disc and put it into the player. Joining her on the sofa she immediately snuggled into his side, pulling his arm around her and a blanket over both of them. He started the movie and settled in to enjoy it with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

A shrill ringing pierced to still air of the loft at far too early an hour, startling the two occupants of the bedroom from their slumber. Disentangling from Castle's iron grip Kate fumbled around in the dark for her phone.

"Beckett." She answered without opening her eyes. "Ok, we'll be there soon." Ending the call she attempted to get out of bed, but was stopped by Castle, who wanted to go back to sleep after their late night watching movies. Giving in for a moment she lay back down facing him. "We've got a murder Rick, we have to go."

"I know," He sighed. "But I'm having a hard time waking up right now. Must be the beautiful woman I was dreaming about and is now talking to me about a murder."

She smiled at his sleep roughened voice and leaned in to kiss him awake. It worked and he was soon kissing her back enthusiastically. Breaking it off before things got too heated, Kate jumped out of his reach and headed for the shower. "C'mon Rick, I'll let you scrub my back if you're quick."

Hearing the innuendo in her tone, he hurried after her into the bathroom, where she was already under the hot water. Stripping off in record time, he hopped in after her. Knowing they were short on time he grabbed her loofah from the shelf. Soaping up he was quick to lather every inch of her he could reach, intent on driving her insane with pleasure, before directing her under the spray to rinse off. He repeated the procedure on himself whilst she washed her hair. Castle made coffee whilst Kate did her hair. He always loved watching the transformation from Kate, his gorgeous fiance, to Beckett, the fierce, no nonsense Detective and vice versa. He smiled softly as she blow dried her hair and arranged it just so, before applying her make up. He was humbled and awed that she allowed him to see her without her 'armour'. She was, and always would be, a truly remarkable woman, and he loved her all the more for it.

Seeing the unguarded expression on his face in the mirror made Kate's breath catch in her throat. It was love, plain and simple, there was no other way to describe it. It was one that she had only seen twice before, and was usually accompanied by an epiphany of sorts. She held his gaze for a moment before resuming her daily rituals. Once complete she stood and turned around to find Castle right behind her. She jumped slightly, but he only kissed her softly and handed her a coffee to go before heading out. Gathering her wits she followed him out the door and onto the crime scene.

"Morning Lanie, what have we got?" Detective Beckett asked as she neared the Medical Examiner.

"Single stab wound to the neck. He bled out in a matter of minutes." Lanie stated matter-of-factly.

"Victims name is Grant Henderson, 53." Esposito said, joining them. "Driver's licence says this is his address."

"What about a time of death?" Beckett asked.

"I'm putting TOD between 8 and 10pm last night." Dr Parish told her before heading off to arrange the transportation of the body.

"Who discovered the body?" Kate asked, a little confused about the timing.

"A neighbour came home at 4am to find his front door open and when he investigated, found Mr Henderson dead in the lounge." Ryan explained as he walked through the door towards them.

"Ok, talk to the neighbours, see if they saw anything suspicious last night. Also check into building security, see if any cameras caught our guy in the act." Ryan and Esposito left to collect the tapes and set up a canvass.

Beckett and Castle walked around the spacious apartment, looking for any clues to either the perpetrator and a reason for his death. In the study they found his computer, which showed that he was a very successful pharmaceutical rep and had a keen interest in butterflies. Looking around some more they didn't find anything relevant to the case or the murder. "Anything?" Beckett asked as she returned to the lounge.

"No, there's nothing here." Castle called out from the kitchen.

"Alright then, we should head for the Precinct." She said, leading the way out of the apartment.

_'Ok,' He thought to himself. 'It's time. I cannot underestimate them.' He watched them as they stepped out of his rivals building and headed towards their car. He drew a picture together in his mind of Castle as he used to be – a playboy and lover of women – and sent it out into the universe, asking for his plea to be answered. Smiling at the future he saw when it was, he whispered a short phrase. "ut ei resisti mulieribus" (make him irresistible to women). Then he sat back on the bench to watch events as they unfolded._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Castle asked as they neared the car, hoping she felt the same way as he did.

"I don't want to do anything Rick, just have a cozy night in." Kate replied, smiling softly at her fiance walking beside her. "But I doubt we'll get home at a reasonable hour seeing as we have a new case."

Ever the optimist, Castle said, "There is always the possibility that the killer will walk into the Precinct later on this afternoon."

Rolling her eyes at his eternal optimism, Kate ignored the comment in favour of unlocking the car.

"Oh my God! It's Richard Castle!" A shout from across the street make them both jump and turn towards the woman in question. She darted out into traffic, causing tyres to squeal and horns to blare as several cars came to a grinding halt in an attempt to miss the blonde racing towards them with no regard for her, or anyone else's, safety. "I knew it was you. I absolutely love your books, I'm your biggest fan."

Castle recovered quickly and pasted on his charming grin. "Thank you, always great to meet a fan."

Kate rolled her eyes again, this time at the woman, and her blatant attempt to snag the author.

"When I saw you across the street, I knew it was fate. I just had to come over and see if you wanted to go out sometime, get a drink, maybe go back to my place." She batted her eyes at him, completely oblivious to the shock on both Castle and Beckett's face.

"That's very flattering..." He waited for her to mention her name.

"April." She supplied.

"April, but I'm afraid I have to decline." He watched the words sink in and, instead of backing off, they just embolded her.

"Come on, I know you're single-" A choked growl cut her off and she looked around confused as to where it came from.

Seeing the look on Kate's face, Castle hurried to shut her down. "Like I said, April, I'm flattered, but I can't go out with you. I've made some changes over the last few years, and, as a promise to my daughter, agreed not to date any more of my fans. I'm sorry, I hope you can understand that." He watched closely as the words sunk in and waited for her to leave.

"She doesn't have to know about us." April tried again, intent on obtaining the writer.

"No, April. I can't, and more importantly, I don't want to." He didn't mean to sound abrupt, but she was starting to grate on his nerves. "Now, if you'll excuse me, we have places to be."

April noticed the Detective for the first time, and quickly dismissed her before handing Castle a card with her number on it. "For when you change your mind" She whispered before turning around and, finally, leaving.

Kate rounded the car and faced a bewildered Castle. "She thinks you're single? Where did she get that idea?" She tore the card out of his fingers and threw it in the bin, before storming back to the car and getting in.

Seeing how upset she was, Castle quickly got in the car and attempted to diffuse the situation. "Give me the keys." He commanded, holding out his hand. Knowing he was right, she sighed and gave them to him. "Thank you. Now, lets talk about what just happened."

"Ok, first off, why does she think you're single? We're getting married at the weekend."

"Yes, and I can't wait. As for her beliefs, I don't know why she said that. She obviously doesn't read the paper or watch the news."

"Obviously. But did you have to flirt with her?"

"I wasn't flirting, Kate. You know how my fans can be. Granted they've been better behaved since we told them we were engaged, but I can't just ignore them." He placated. "I have to show them they are appreciated so they'll keep buying my books."

Kate could see the rationale behind his words and thought back on her behaviour. The man before her wasn't the same man she'd met six years ago. He had matured, changed and fallen in love.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to watch some bimbette try to steal you away from me right in front of my eyes."

"I agree. I love you, Kate. I'm not going anywhere." He moved closer to her and stroked a hand over her cheek before kissing her softly and full of promise.

Smiling a little at his words, Kate took the keys he offered and headed for the Precinct.

_He watched the entire episode with a malicious glee. 'Perfect. Now lets up the game.' Taking a dried red rose from his pocket, he whispered the words again whilst he crushed the symbol of love in his hands. Closing his eyes, he blew the flower dust into the ether and felt the spell strengthen. 'Let's see them overcome this.' Opening his eyes, he stood, and made his way towards the subway and his sanctuary._

They made it to the Precinct without incident. In the bullpen Beckett pulled out a murder board and started to fill in the scant details they already had.

Castle headed for the break room to make an extra special coffee for his fiance. He was so caught up in his work he failed to notice the amorous glances being cast in his direction from the female population of the room. After making the perfect heart he turned around to leave and found he was trapped. Several women were in the room with him, blocking the exits and looking like they wanted to eat him for dinner.

"Uh, hi ladies." He stuttered, "Can I help you with something?" He glanced around, looking for some way, any way, to get out of the room intact. He had a bad feeling about the answer.

"I think it's the other way around." A young brunette said to him, awkwardly trying to look seductive. "It's what I can do for you."

"Excuse me, I think you mean me." A buxom red head butted in, turning a cold look on the younger woman.

"I saw him first!" A tall, thin goth-like girl added to the argument. "You two were too busy fighting about your boundary dispute when he walked out of the elevator."

"Ladies, please, there's no need to argue." Castle started, trying to diffuse the situation before someone got hurt. "I can settle this right now."

"Stay out of it Richard!" The red head spit out. "I'll set them straight." Then all hell broke loose.

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**I know it's been a while since I posted the first chapter. I went on holiday and didn't take my laptop, but now that I'm back I'll post regularly for you.**

**Please R&R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Kate's head shot up at the unholy scream that erupted from somewhere. Looking around she saw what looked like a fight break out in the break room. Knowing Castle had been heading in that direction, she ran towards the room to find out what was going on. She stopped at the door, transfixed by the sight of three women biting and clawing at each other. Castle was hiding behind a table at the far end of the room, with a look of horror on his face. Their eyes met across the room in silent communication. Nodding at him to indicate she understood, she let out a shrill whistle.

"Ladies! Stop!" She shouted, then waited for them to obey. "Now, I can settle this once and for all. Richard Castle is not up for grabs. For those of you who don't know, and we all know you should, he is mine. We're engaged, and are getting married on Saturday. So would you kindly let each other go and leave the premises." Her tone brooked no argument and they silently, sullenly, released their punishing grips on each other and headed out the door.

Once they were gone, Castle emerged from his hiding place, relief evident on his face. "Thank you, Kate. That was.."

"Yeah," She turned to face him, completely bewildered by the recent turn of events. "What is going on?"

"I have no clue." He told her, sharing her confusion. "I was just making coffee. They just started fighting over me, like I was some kind of prize."

"So I saw," she commented dryly.

"This just doesn't happen to me," he continued quietly, "And after that little display, I'm glad to say I don't want to experience that ever again." He shuddered at the thought of enduring that on a daily basis.

"Well, until we get to the bottom of this, you shouldn't go anywhere alone." Kate told him sternly.

"Sure, I don't think that will be a problem." Castle answered softly.

He walked back to the table where he'd placed the coffee's and handed one to Beckett. She smiled at the picture he'd drawn in the milk, he really was the sweetest man. They headed for her desk to begin looking into their victim.

Ryan and Esposito returned a few hours later after gathering security tapes to find Castle and Beckett sat staring at the murder board.

"Yo," Esposito said, when they approached them, "None of the neighbours report seeing or hearing anything out of the ordinary."

"The doorman didn't see anyone suspicious or let any unknown people into the building, which means either the killer was someone they knew or he got in another way." Ryan added before heading off to review the footage he had acquired.

"There's nothing in his life to indicate why someone would want him dead. He worked for a large pharmaceutical company and has no family apart from a cousin in Utah." Kate filled in Esposito on what they had so far discovered. "Take a look at the victims financial and phone records. See what you can find."

Esposito went back to his desk to get started, when Kate's phone chimed. "Lanie's got something."

"Hey Lanie." Kate greeted the Medical Examiner.

"I managed to determine what was used to kill Mr Henderson here." Lanie pulled out a picture to show them. "It was a blade about six inches long and one inch wide with a serrated edge on one side."

"A kitchen knife?" Castle asked.

"Basically, yes."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. "We have to go back to the crime scene."

"Not so fast, Detective Beckett." Dr Parish called as they headed towards the door. "I want a word with you before you run out of here." Castle left to allow the two ladies to talk. "Alright, spill."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, confused.

"Don't 'what' me Kate, I can see it written all over your face. What's going on?"

"I don't know yet, Lanie. But ever since we got this case women haven't left him alone. It's like they all woke up today and decided to pursue my fiance."

"I don't follow." The ME said, confused.

"Well, we left the crime scene this morning and this blonde bimbo approached him and asked him out. Right next to me." Kate told her. "And then at the Precinct, he went to make coffee and three women accosted him and began fighting over the right to take him home."

Lanie was shocked at what she was hearing. Whilst she admired the writer, she had never felt any sort of attraction to him. Besides he was engaged to her best friend, so as far as she was concerned he was off limits. "What did you do?"

"I yelled at them that we're getting married at the weekend and kicked them out of the Precinct."

"And that worked?" At Kate's nod she added, "You go girl. Good for you. Just keep him close until whatever it is passes ok?"

"Don't worry Lanie, I don't plan to let him out of my sight at all until the wedding." She left the morgue and found Castle waiting in the deserted hallway for her.

"I'm so glad you're here. Please don't do that again." At her confused look he elaborated. "One of the techs here got a bit handsy and I had to hide in the closet until she left."

"I promise, Castle, that I won't let you out of my sight until this is over." She wound her arms around his neck and brought his lips to hers in a sizzling kiss full of promise and love.

"Okay." He whispered when she pulled back. Taking her hand he led the way to the elevator and together they headed out to the victims address.

"It's not here," Beckett called from the kitchen. "The killer must have taken it with him when he left."

"Or he brought it with him." Castle added, joining her. "Either way, we don't have a murder weapon."

"Maybe not, but look at this." She showed him a small velvet pouch she had found under the sink. "This definitely doesn't belong here."

"No, it doesn't." He leaned in to smell it. "Smells like herbs of some sort."

"We should get it to the lab." She placed it in a bag before returning to the lounge. They continued searching for anything else unusual and came up with several more of the little herb pouches hidden throughout the apartment. They were all identical in size and contents.

"What the hell was this guy into?" Castle asked, rhetorically.

"Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't good." She answered. "We should go, there's nothing else here." She led them out of the building.

Once outside they almost made it to the cruiser before they were beset upon by an overly enthusiastic woman.

"Mr Castle! Mr Castle." Both Beckett and Castle rolled their eyes before turning towards the woman.

"Can I help you?" Castle asked, politely, pasting on a smile for her.

"I just wanted to ask you if you'd like to get a drink with me. I promise to make it worth your while." She said, paying no attention to Detective Beckett, who was smirking at her as she surreptitiously put on her engagement ring.

"While I appreciate the offer, I cannot accept. You see," He stepped closer to Beckett and took her left hand in his, bringing it to his chest, "I'm engaged to this beautiful Detective here, and we're getting married on Saturday. There is nothing, and no one, that will stop me from walking down the aisle with her as my wife and spending the rest of my life making her as happy as she makes me." He drove that home by kissing her hand then kissing her soundly and with some finality on the lips in full view of everyone around.

The woman in question watched all this with no small amount of shock, as she had believed that he was unattached and ripe for the picking. Seeing the ring and the love they shared caused her embarrassment to rise and she stuttered out an apology to them both before rushing of in shame.

It seemed to do the trick and no other women bothered them as they finally reached the car and made their way to the lab first then back to the Precinct.

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**What do you think so far?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Ryan and Esposito were waiting for them when they stepped of the elevator with grins on their faces.

"What?" Beckett asked as she made her way to her desk, looking for her coffee cup. They followed her to the break room before answering her.

"Your little make-out session was caught on camera." Esposito told them smugly.

Castle and Beckett looked at each other in shock. "What do you mean?" He asked the two younger detectives.

"On Park Ave, when that woman approached you, there was a cameraman on the other side who caught the whole exchange." Ryan explained. "It's been all over the news. 'Author Richard Castle caught kissing New York Detective Katherine Beckett.'"

"We were making a point to the woman." Beckett said, shortly. "We've had nothing but trouble with the female population today and she was the last straw. We showed her, and apparently the world, that he is not available and never will be."

Castle smiled at her before adding, "Maybe now they'll leave me alone to marry her at the weekend."

"Now that we got that out of the way, maybe we can focus on some real police work." Beckett scolded them lightly.

"Alright, I went through his phone and financials, nothing popped. No new numbers or recent charges on his account." Esposito informed them.

"I reviewed the footage between 8 and 10 last night and no one except the tenants entered or exited in out TOD window." Ryan said. "Just to be sure I checked the previous days footage to see if our guy cased the place and got stills of several people who we're running down as we speak."

"Ok, we found some unusual pouches hidden in our vics apartment, sent them to be analysed." Kate checked her watch. "It's getting late, there isn't anything else we can do until the results come in so we should head home, get a fresh start in the morning."

"Alright, night guys." Esposito and Ryan collected their coats, eager to get home early for once.

"Shall we order in tonight?" Castle asked as he helped Kate put on her coat again.

"Sounds good, Chinese?" She said as they headed for the elevator.

Castle placed the order as they drove back to the loft and it arrived just as they made it to the door. He paid for it as Kate opened the door, kicking of her shoes as she made her way to the kitchen for a well deserved glass of wine. She made her way to the couch where he was already setting out their dinner. They dug into their dinner, only stopping to take a sip of wine and in no time at all polished of the lot.

After putting the empty containers in the bin and topping up their glasses, they retired to the bedroom. Silently, they got ready for bed, both knowing there was a serious discussion brewing, and wanting no distractions. Castle watched as Kate applied lotion to her arms and legs with a frown upon her face. Resuming his nightly duties, he changed into boxers and a t-shirt, then climbed into bed to wait. Kate reappeared from the adjoining bathroom and got in with him, pulling the blankets over her just so.

A few minutes of watching her adjust the bedspread Castle started. "Kate, you know I would never give you any reason to doubt me, don't you?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes Rick, I do. It's just.."

"Just what, Kate?"

She sighed, knowing she couldn't brush it off. "You gained a reputation as a playboy for a good reason, Rick. You were known as 'The White Whale' by most women. Everyone of which tried to get you into bed."

"I'm not denying I had a reputation for dating many, many women," He hurried to explain when she rolled her eyes. "But I've changed and grown in the six years since we met. I fell in love, deeply in love, and that's not something I've ever experienced before."

She smiled at hearing the depth of his affection for her. "I know, Rick, and I love you too, more than I've ever loved anyone. But watching women throw themselves at you, right in front of me I might add, shakes that belief just a little bit."

"It throws me too." He turned to face her. "I mean we're getting married, it's been in the paper, all over page six several times, so everyone knows it's true. I just don't understand what is happening, or why it's happening now, of all times."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm not letting you out of my sight until we get to the bottom of this." She leaned in to give him a kiss. "Deal?"

"Deal." He pulled her closer for another kiss that took her breath away. "I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled him down with her and plastered herself to his side, feeling closer to him than ever before and happier for it.

Wrapping his arms around her tightly he kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes and falling into a fitful slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Kate awoke to the smell of coffee and bacon. Finding the bed beside her empty, she knew Castle was the source of the smell. Pulling on a dressing gown she padded out silently to the kitchen. She smiled at the sight of Castle dressed in only an apron, leaving his very fine ass on display, perfect for a good grope. Unable to resist she snuck upon him and did just that.

Not expecting company, Castle jumped about a foot and let out a girly squeal. Kate laughed at his response and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, babe." She took one of the cups of coffee and left him to continue with breakfast. She sat at the counter and opened the paper. Not surprisingly she was greeted by the sight of herself and Castle in a serious lip lock, with the heading 'Author Richard Castle and muse Katherine Beckett caught stealing a kiss before the big day.' Not too long ago a picture like this would have upset and annoyed her, but in recent months she had come to accept the fact that he was a well known face and there would be someone hiding to get just a glimpse of the elusive fiance.

"We make a cute couple, don't you think?" Castle asked as he placed two plates on the counter in front of her.

She smiled at him softly. "Yes actually, we do." She pulled a plate towards her and dug in. As always he managed to cook the perfect breakfast and it was gone in no time. Sitting back with her coffee, she openly admired the man in front of her whilst he ate his at a more sedate pace.

"I can feel you watching me. It's very disconcerting." He told her when he finished his breakfast.

"Can't help myself, you look edible." She leered at him, making him laugh. "But as much as I adore this look, we have to get going."

She stood and placed the dishes in the dishwasher then headed for the shower, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist joining her. She was surprised when he wasn't right behind her nipping at her heels. Thinking he was just cleaning up she undressed and got in. She made quick work of washing her hair and rinsing off and was out before Castle hurried in from the kitchen.

"What kept you?" She asked, adding, "I'm all done."

He kissed her quickly before jumping in for the fastest shower ever. Two minutes later he was back in the bedroom, with a towel wrapped around his hips, looking for something to wear. "With the new case, I forgot to call the bakery yesterday, so I left them a message, detailing what we wanted on our wedding cake."

"That's good news, I completely forgot about it until you mentioned it. Thanks." She called from the other side of the room, where she was styling her hair. After dressing Castle left Kate to finish up and went to check the cake off their list of things to do before the weekend. Satisfied that the only things left on the list were the last minute pick ups, he gathered up all the paperwork and took it into he study for safe-keeping. Checking he was alone, he opened up the middle drawer and took out Kate's wedding ring. They had picked out matching gold bands, which, unbeknownst to Kate, he had had engraved with their signature word – 'Always' – and the date of their wedding. Running his hand over the inscription he smiled at the symbol of his eternal commitment to the woman of his dreams. In his opinion, Saturday couldn't come fast enough.

"Castle?" A voice sounded from the lounge.

"Coming." He snapped the box shut and hurriedly locked the drawer, keeping the rings safe inside, and his fiance outside. He walked out to find her waiting impatiently at the door for him. He grabbed his coat and keys and rushed out the door after her retreating back.

_'Well, that didn't work.' He thought to himself, a little disappointed. 'Their love must be stronger than I thought.' He closed his eyes, seeking answers from the Universe, something that would derail them. Images of three men appeared in his mind. 'Perfect. All they need is a little push and a little manipulation.' Pulling out his ever ready supply of flowers, he picked out some daisies. He crushed them whilst whispering an incantation. "Cupimus perdita caritate." (Rekindle lost love) Keeping the three men uppermost in his mind he released the flower dust and sat back to watch._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Walking into the Precinct, Beckett headed straight for the murder board, hoping that something had appeared over night. Checking it over she was a little disappointed to see that there was nothing new. Neither Ryan or Esposito were at their desks, hopefully they were running down a lead, so she decided to go over the victims financials and phone records again whilst she waited.

A cup of coffee appeared in her periphery, which she accepted gratefully. She took a sip, nearly scalding her tongue in the process, before getting back into the records. Castle sat down next to her and started playing on his phone, keeping out of her way so she could concentrate.

Within an hour she had several piles of paper, each with a specific phone number or transaction common to each one. She made a list of them, also the most recent, so she could run each one down again. Starting with the recent activity, she ran them through the computer, paying close attention to any that intersected.

A short while later and Ryan and Esposito were still a no show, but there was someone else who appeared almost out of nowhere.

"Will?" Beckett said, amazed, when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "What are you doing here?"

The man in question made his way over to them, with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, Kate. How are you?"

"I'm really good. You?" She asked.

"Not too bad, not too bad." His smile lessened a little when he saw Castle rise from his seat and greet him too. "Castle, you still here?"

"Yes, seems they can't get enough of me here." He answered, only half jokingly.

"Listen, as I'm in town, I was wondering if you'd like to get a coffee, catch up a little?" He asked, looking hopeful.

Kate looked at Castle, who was looking slightly jealous, but was doing his best to hide it. He gave the barest of nods, telling her silently that he was ok with it, if she wanted to reminisce with her ex. "Sure, I'd like that."

"Great, do you have some time now?"

Again, she looked at Castle who spoke up. "Go, Kate. There's nothing new on this case right now and I can amuse myself for an hour."

"Ok, call me if there are any updates, or if the boys come in." She told him, before grabbing her coat and heading for the elevator, where she cast one last look at Castle as the doors closed.

Kate led Will to a coffee shop just around the corner, not wanting to leave Castle alone for too long, considering what happened yesterday. They placed their orders and sat down at a window table.

"So, what have you been up to?" Kate started the conversation.

"Just finished up a case in Maine, so I have a few days off before I have to head to down to Washington. Thought I'd come and see you." He smiled charmingly at her, but she had become immune to his charms over the years, and whatever he wanted, he wasn't going to find it from her. "What about you? Anything new in your life."

"Not much, for a little while I was working with the FBI, but it wasn't for me, so I came back here." She told him.

"What happened?" He queried. "What made you give it up?"

"It didn't sit too well with me." She elaborated at his confused look. "There were too many shades of grey for my liking. I'm used to my job being black and white, and I couldn't sit back and let others get away with any type of crime. I'm all about getting justice for those who need it."

"So you gave up a dream job to come back here?" He asked, trying to understand where she was coming from.

"Yes, that and my fiance." She concluded, leaving the best for last, as she had figured out his motive.

"Fiance?" He was shocked. "I didn't even know you were seeing anyone. Who is he?"

"Haven't you read the papers?" He nodded. "We've been in them several times, most recently this morning for being caught kissing in the street."

"I don't pay any attention to the social pages." He showed his ignorance on the issue.

"It's Castle."

"Writer Boy?"

"Writer Man, and yes, we've been together for two years now and engaged for seven months now." She pulled out her necklace from her blouse and showed him her engagement ring.

"Well, it can't be that serious if you're not wearing his ring on your finger." He said, picking at her relationship.

"It's very serious. We're actually getting married this weekend."

Will was speechless. He'd come here believing he had a chance to get back together with her, and here she was, slapping him in the face with her impending marriage. Feeling angry and hurt at her rejection he stood up and, without a word, stalked out of the cafe.

"Well, that was something." She said to no one in particular. Finishing her coffee, she put him out of her mind and headed back to the Precinct.

"Hey, Castle, what are you doing here? Where's Beckett?" Ryan called as he and Esposito got off the elevator.

"She's having coffee with Will, who just waltzed into town."

"Her ex Will Sorensen?" Esposito asked, wanting to get the facts straight.

"The very same one."

"Wonder what he wants this time." Ryan mumbled as he passed Castle on his way to his desk.

"Yeah, last time he was here he put the moves on Beckett." Esposito added with a smirk.

"She won't fall for that this time guys." Castle was confident in his fiance's ability to resist the agents charms.

"Are you sure about that?" Esposito pushed further.

"Positive. You'll see." Castle told them smugly.

"And you'd be right, Rick." Kate called from behind them, as she walked into the bullpen. She smiled lovingly at her fiance and his belief and trust in her.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Castle asked her softly.

"It was fine. He's gone now, for good." She telegraphed her feelings and that she'd tell him about it later with just a look.

Getting back to the subject at hand, Beckett moved up to the murder board for a quick discussion. "What have you guys managed to find out?"

"We checked out the four faces on the security footage and they all came back clean." Ryan moved the four pictures across the board. "None of them had any connection to our vic or any reason to want him dead."

"I took another look at his financials and phone records, and so far haven't found anything suspicious." She informed them. "I've got a few left to check out."

Her phone took that moment to ring. When she saw the number she looked up at Castle in shock.

"What is it?" He asked, seeing the look on her face.

"It's Josh." They shared a look, one that said a single ex is normal, but two in a matter of hours is not a coincidence.

"You should take that." She nodded and gave her list to the boys to finish running down before heading to the break room for some privacy.

"Beckett."

"Hey, Kate. It's me, Josh."

"I know it's you. How are you?"

"I'm doing good. Just finished another Doctors Without Borders tour last month."

"Where did you go this time?"

"Back to Haiti." There was a pause as both decided what they wanted to say. Josh caved first.

"Since I came back I've done a lot of thinking, Kate, and I made a decision."

"Oh, what decision is that?"

"That I'm done with Doctors Without Borders. I want to stay in New York permanently, maybe open up my own surgery for those who can't afford standard medical care."

"That sounds like a great idea. We need more places like that in the city."

"Thanks, I hoped you would agree with me."

"I do. I think you should do it." Another pause and Kate got a sudden suspicious feeling in her gut. "But that's not why you called, it is?"

"No. Making this choice also made me re-evaluate my life, and I know we didn't end on the best of terms, but I was hoping we could get together and talk."

"Josh, let me stop you there, ok. I know what you're going to say."

"And. What do you think?"

"I'm engaged, Josh. Have been for over half a year, and we've been together for two."

"What? When did this happen? Who is it?"

Kate sighed as she prepared to recite the same things she'd told Will just an hour before. "I'm engaged to Castle, we've been together for a long time now and we're getting married at the weekend."

"No, it can't be. Tell me it's not true Kate."

"It is Josh, and it's not going to change just because you want it to."

"You're serious. You're actually going to marry that man."

"'That man' is my fiance, my one and done and the love of my life. You and I are long over Josh, and there is no chance that that will ever change. Goodbye." She waited for a reply but was only met by a dial tone and he hung up the phone.

Kate took a moment to herself to come to terms with the fact that not one, but two of her exes, had come back into her life looking to get back together. Getting her head back in the game, she turned to the coffee machine, needing a little pick me up after that exhausting conversation. As she waited for the machine to do it's magic, she looked out at the bullpen to see the guys laughing and joking about something. Smiling at them, she made two coffee's, one for her and one for Castle, a small token of thanks for his patience at the situation.

The sound of the break room door had the shared laughter ceasing as they all turned to watch Beckett make her way to them with two coffee's. As she handed one to Castle, she brushed his fingers with hers in a gentle caress. "Thanks." She whispered as she joined them. "Did you finish the list I gave you."

"Yes, and we found a possible match." Espo told her.

"This phone number." Ryan handed her a record. "The times of the calls coincide with several payments made into this account. The phone is a burner, so we can't trace an owner, but we have a call in with the bank to find out the owner of the account. We should hear back within the day."

"Alright, get on that phone, see if it's made any other calls and if we can trace those. Hopefully we can back trace it to someone." They nodded and headed to their desks to carry those out.

Kate looked at the time and nearly had a heart attack. "Ah! I'm late!"

Castle jumped at the outburst from his fiance, confused about what she meant. "Kate?"

"My last dress fitting. It's in twenty minutes, I'm going to be late!" She told him as she hurried to put on her coat whilst heading to the elevator.

After she left Castle looked around aimlessly, unsure of what to do. The case was just computer and paperwork at the moment and Kate had gone for a fitting, so he had nothing to do at the Precinct. He had a novel to finish at home, but was reluctant to leave the safety of the bullpen. He really didn't want to experience yesterday all over again. Looking around he saw pens, pencils and pads. Perfect. He was a writer, he could go old school and use a pen and paper, then transfer it all later. He found an empty pad and spare pens and headed for the break room. Making a coffee he made his way to the couch and settled in to write until Kate returned.

* * *

**Thought I'd upload three chapters today, as the first two are quite small.**

**Please R&R.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"Hi Julia. So sorry I'm late, it's been a busy morning." Kate called out as she walked into the Boutique.

"It's alright Kate, my last appointment ran over so you would have been waiting anyway." The owner said as she met the Detective. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." was all Kate could say as they headed towards the dressing rooms. Julia picked up a garment bag and handed it to her to try on.

"Let me know if you need any help, ok?" The woman left her to undress and slip on the wedding dress. Stepping into it, she pulled it up over her body, settling it into place before calling Julia back. They had come to this agreement very early on, as Kate was very aware of her scars and didn't want the questions that would inevitably arise when someone saw them. Julia walked in and helped her to fasten the dress into place. After zipping and buttoning Kate was directed to the mirrors and she got to see the final piece. It was exquisite. A strapless dress, slightly longer than her at the moment, to accommodate her three inch white strappy heels. Decorated with pearls and lace, with a short train on the back, it was exactly what she had always pictured. When she had her hair and make up done, it would be perfect. Meeting her eyes in the mirror, her smile faltered slightly. She wished her mother was here to see this, to be there on her wedding day, share in her joy and happiness.

Julia watched Kate's expression, saw when the clouds started to roll in, so she stepped in. "You look beautiful, Kate. You're mother is smiling down on you from Heaven."

Kate met her eyes in the mirror, looking vulnerable for the first time since Julia had met the tough as nails Detective. "Really?" She asked, in a small voice.

"Yes." Julia said, firmly. "She will always be with you, in every thing you do, watching over you with a smile. She would be so proud of the woman you have become."

She watched that sink in, and saw the moment when her words hit home. "It's perfect, Julia. Thank you."

The older woman scrutinized the dress, knowing there was something missing. She walked around her, running a critical eye over it. She picked up the veil, placing it on Kate's head, pinning it in place. She gathered the wispy material, settling it into position and spotted what was missing. She walked over to a display case and pulled out a delicate silver comb, with three diamonds embedded into it. "Here." She wove the comb into her hair, under the veil to show Kate what it looked like. "Now it's perfect."

Kate touched the comb, entranced by the change a comb made on the whole ensemble. "Wow." She was at a loss for words. It was stunning. "I can't accept that."

"Nonsense." Julia waved her off. "It's a gift, besides, no one else could do it justice. It's a one of a kind, just like you. It's a match made in heaven."

Kate turned back to the mirror, looking the outfit over one last time, before turning to make their way back to the changing rooms. After getting Julia's assistance to undo the dress and remove the veil Kate redressed and placed the dress reverently back into the garment bag. Stepping outside she handed it back to Julia with a smile. "Thank you."

The owner smiled widely. "It's nothing, really. I'll take the veil and comb with me tonight and work them together. You can pick them up in three days, just in time for your big day."

"Thank you again, Julia." She squeezed the other woman's hand. "I couldn't have done this without you."

With a smile on her face and a skip in her step, Kate left the Boutique and headed back to the Precinct and the latest case.

"Hold the elevator!" A voice called as the doors started to close. She put her hand out to allow the man to step on safely. "Thanks." He did a double take as he saw who it was. "Kate."

"Hey, Tom. How are you?" She asked politely, unsure of the reception she would receive.

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm doing well. You?"

"Very well, thanks." She smiled just as warmly at the thought of her upcoming wedding.

"How's work?" He asked, a little lamely.

"Good, it's good. We got a case right now." She told him quietly. It became a little awkward for a moment as the both tried to figure out how to talk to each other.

"Listen Kate. Can I ask you something?" He turned to her, looking hopeful.

She got that sinking feeling, that she knew what he wanted. She nodded slowly.

"Why did you break up with me, really?"

Her head shot up at the last thing she expected. She fumbled to find a good answer. "It was like I told you, Tom. It wasn't a good time for me, and I truly didn't see a future for us. I didn't want to hurt you or give you the wrong idea by staying in a relationship with you when I wasn't committed to it."

"Well, what about now? Do you think we have a chance now?"

She closed her eyes as her fears were realised. Fortunately the elevator doors took that moment to open. She took the opportunity to get out of the enclosed space and into the bullpen. Tom followed her out, still waiting for an answer. Knowing he wasn't going anywhere until she shut him down she turned to face him.

"I'm sorry Tom, but there is not now nor will there ever be a chance for us." She showed him her engagement ring, which she had snuck onto her finger when he wasn't looking. "I'm getting married at the weekend to the man I love, and have loved for years."

Castle watched from the break room door as his fiance explained the situation to Tom Demming, with a smile on his face. He listened intently to her words.

"Really." Demming asked, shocked that she was with someone else. He never thought he'd get turned down by her. He believed it was a sure thing, that she was waiting for him. "Who is it?"

"You know who it is." The man in question took that as his cue to join her by the elevators, to provide a united front against yet another of her exes. "It's Castle." She slipped her hand into his, which he raised to press a kiss to. "It's always been Castle." She whispered the last part, not wanting to push a confrontation.

Demming stood there in shock at the sight before him. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, hoping that he was hallucinating. "You. And Castle. Are engaged?"

"Yes, we are." She looked up at her fiance, smiling softly and full of love at him. She didn't see what happened next, but suddenly Castle was sprawled on the floor, holding his jaw. Demming had hit him, hard. Falling to her knees next to him, she helped him to sit up, whilst casting a murderous glare at Demming.

Esposito and Ryan saw the whole thing unfold and ran across the room to restrain the robbery Detective. They hauled him across the bullpen to the Interrogation room and practically threw him inside.

Captain Gates saw the whole thing and walked out of her office. "Alright people, back to work please." She made her way to the elevator, where Detective Beckett was helping Mr Castle to stand. "Are you alright Mr Castle?"

"I will be." He winced when talking hurt. "When I can press charges." He turned to his fiance. "That was uncalled for."

"I know babe. Let's get you some ice." She started to lead him away, then turned back to her captain. "Thank you Sir."

"No one punches anyone in here and gets away with it." She headed back to her office, calling over her shoulder. "I'll get the paperwork started, Mr Castle."

"Are you ok?" Kate asked him, sucking in a breath at the mark that was already showing, as she led him back to the break room. She sat him down and fetched an ice pack from the fridge, wrapping it in a towel as she joined him. "Here. This should help."

He put the ice against his jaw, wincing at the pressure and the temperature combined. "I didn't deserve that."

"Shh, don't talk." She caressed the uninjured side of his face, taking care not to hurt him any more. "We'll get it all sorted, don't you worry." She looked around and spotted one of her pads and a few pens on the table, as well as an empty coffee pot. "Were you writing in here?"

He looked at her sheepishly. "I didn't want to risk getting ambushed again, so I set up in here, where I could be left alone."

"Did you get much done?" He nodded, in favour of speaking again, as his jaw was starting to swell. "We should get you looked over by a doctor." He nodded again and let her lead the way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"What were you thinking?" Esposito asked Demming forcefully. "Assaulting Castle like that."

"That asshole is dating my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend?" Ryan smirked at him. "How long you been together then?"

"We're not together, but I was looking to get back together with her today. I know she wants to." Demming smiled lecherously.

Esposito shoved him against the wall. "Where did you get that idea? Did she tell you that?"

"No, she didn't have to. I just know she does."

"You're delusional if you think she wants to leave Castle for you." Ryan informed him tightly. "They're getting married this weekend, and I've never seen a couple so much in love as those two."

"Yeah, those two can be sickeningly cute at times. But he's right." Esposito added. "And the sooner you understand that you don't have a chance, the better it will be for everyone."

"Thanks for the advice," Demming said, unconvinced by their attempts to derail him. He wanted her and he was going to get her. He tried to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ryan asked, stepping into his way.

"Back to work, like you to should be."

"Sorry, bro." Esposito stepped up beside him. "You're staying here until Castle presses charges." They made him sit down, then left him in the room to stew.

"Well, it's not fractured, Mr Castle." The doctor told them. "Just bruised. The swelling will go down in a few days. Keep applying the ice and take some painkillers when needed, ok?"

"Thanks Doctor." Kate turned back to Castle. "Ready to go."

"Yeah, lets go." He got off the gurney, grabbing his coat as he made his way out of the emergency room. "I want a word with Detective Demming."

They rode in silence back to the Precinct. Both of them too caught up in their own thoughts to say much to each other.

"Where is he?" Castle asked the room at large when he walked into the bullpen.

"Interrogation." Gates supplied as she joined them at Detective Beckett's desk. "I've filled in the paperwork, I just need you to give your statement and sign it and we can book him."

"Of course." Castle said. "Can I see him for a minute, alone."

"Sure, go ahead." He opened the door to find Demming sat at the table, looking bored. Kate smiled at him encouragingly before heading to observation to keep watch on them.

"Hello Demming." He shut the door and took a seat on the other side.

"Castle." He smirked at the purple bruise already showing in the writer's face.

"I just wanted to look you in the eye, then ask one question." He sat back and folded his arms, looking comfortable.

"What is wrong with you?" He stated, bluntly.

"Nothings wrong with me." He mirrored Castle position. "I just know what I want and when to take it. Kate wants me, I know she does, and she will be mine."

Castle burst out laughing, and heard the faint laughter of Kate coming from the other room. "You really are delusional if you think Kate wants anything to do with you." He wiped his eyes, not caring that his jaw was screaming at him. "Kate belongs to no one. She is her own person, who makes her own decisions. She chose me, and I will spend the rest of my days making sure she never regrets that choice. I love her with all my heart and I'm marrying her on Saturday, no matter what you think or believe."

The door opened and they both looked towards it. Kate walked in, smiling happily . They both stood up expectantly. She made her way to Castle and kissed him hotly, in full view of everyone. Castle was shocked, but quickly responded in kind, wrapping his arms around her tightly, uncaring of the pain shooting down his face. They heard a shuffle and raised their heads to see Esposito and Ryan restraining Demming, who was staring disbelievingly at them.

"Detective Demming," Castle called, as he watched them drag him away. "Just want you to know, I'm pressing charges for assault."

He kissed Kate once more, quickly, before they headed back out into the bullpen to finish up the paperwork. It took less time than expected, so Gates ordered her to take him home to rest, and that she didn't want to see them until the next day.

"Something very odd is going on." They were curled up on the couch in the loft, drinking hot chocolate, as alcohol was out of the question with Castle's painkillers.

"I agree." Castle said. "Me being accosted by women, and you having ex boyfriends attempting to win you back. It's not normal."

"Yes, and now of all times, is highly suspicious." Kate added. "There has to be something else going on, something we're not seeing."

He nodded, running through the last thirty hours in his mind. "It all seems to correspond to the recent murder we caught."

She thought back on the events of the last day and came to the same conclusion. "You're right. Yesterday, just after we found the body was the first occurrence. That is not a coincidence."

"We need to look into it." He started to get up, when she placed a hand on his arm.

"Tomorrow." She placed her mug on the table and took his hand. "Tonight we relax and enjoy a nice, hot bath."

He smiled at the thought, liking the idea of settling in the tub with his favourite Detective. "Then lead the way, my lady."

She led him through the darkened loft towards their bedroom, where she left him to undress whilst she ran the bath. Returning a few minutes later she found him sat on the bed in his boxers, waiting for her return.

"Bath is ready, Rick." She took his hands, pulled him up and into the bathroom. She helped him out of his boxers and pushed him into the bath. Once he was settled she joined him, leaning against his chest and closed her eyes, relaxing into his arms after a long, confusing day.

"This is nice." He murmured, not wanting to break the tranquillity of the moment. "Why don't we do this more often?"

She smiled at the comment probably brought on my painkillers. "Because it's rare that we ever have a free evening like this Rick. You know that."

"I know, but this is really nice." He tightened his arms around her and kissed her head. "Promise me when we're married we'll make sure we find some free time to do this. Just the two of us."

"I promise, now just relax and let the hot water do it's job." She took her own advice, hoping he would do the same.

They spent an hour in there, until the water started to get cold. Drying off they drew on fluffy robes and went to curl up in bed.

"I have to say, Kate, that you handled yourself very well today with Demming. Given that it was the third time you had to explain the situation you were very calm."

"So were you, Rick. Despite the fact that he hit you, you didn't retaliate. I was very proud of how you dealt with him in Interrogation." Castle smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, I just wish he hadn't hit me in the first place." He felt his jaw, which was still a little tender.

"Do you need some more painkillers?" She asked, feeling a little guilty that he was hurt because of her.

"No, I'm fine." She looked sceptical. "It only hurts when I laugh or smile. I'm ok, really."

"I just hope it's over. I don't think I could control myself if anyone else came along trying to 'claim' me." He reached over and took her hand.

"You'll do great, Kate. If it happens again, I have no doubt you'll send the guy packing with plenty to think about." His confidence in her pleased her greatly, and made it easier to deal with.

"Regardless, hopefully it's over for both of us and we can get this week over with so we can get married." She leaned it and kissed him gently, mindful of his injury. "Good night, Castle."

"Night, Kate. Sweet dreams." They settled into bed, wrapped up in each others arms and slept soundly.

* * *

**Another two chapters for you today.**

**Please R&R.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Castle awoke the next morning to find the bed beside him empty, the smell of coffee in his nose and a pounding in his jaw. He got out of bed and put on a robe. Cradling his jaw in his hand he made his way to the kitchen. Kate saw him coming and put a glass of water and the pills on the counter in front of him, knowing from experience that any injury can feel worse the next morning. He gratefully took what she offered and swallowed them with half the water.

"Thanks." He put the pills back and rinsed out the glass, then poured the coffee that had percolated. As he passed he put a cup next to Kate and kissed the side of her head.

She smiled at him and turned her head to give him a proper good morning kiss. "Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

He took a seat and watched as she moved confidently around the kitchen. She fit into his life and home perfectly. She was comfortable here with him and his family, and that made him very happy.

Kate put the last pancake on the plate and placed them in the counter, along with butter, syrup, fruit and chocolate sauce. He put a few on his plate, covering them in chocolate sauce and dug in. She was a little more reserved and added some fruit and syrup to hers.

Finishing hers, she sat back and watched as Castle helped himself to a few more, this time adding some fruit to them. She sipped at her coffee, waiting for him to finish.

He felt eyes on him as he was eating and looked over to find Kate watching him with a small smile on her face. It was slightly unnerving to him, and he got a glimpse of how she felt when he stared at her. He took the last few bites and washed it all down with his rapidly cooling coffee.

Seeing that he was done, they cleared the table and put everything away. Dressing quickly they were on their way within ten minutes.

"Hey guys, what have we got?" Beckett asked as they strode into the bullpen.

Ryan and Esposito joined them in front of the murder board. "We tracked down a name on the account and the phone." Ryan started.

"The account is registered to a company called Arch Real Ventures. It's a medium sized pharmaceutical company, who the victim worked for on several occasions." Esposito told them. "A back trace on the phone came up with a name. Jez."

"That's it – Jez." Kate asked.

"Yes. We talked to some of the people who called that number and that was all they could give us." Esposito anticipated her next question. "Apparently the guy is very protective of his identity and they have never met him, so they can't identify him either."

"We need to know who this guy is, and what his connection to our victim is." She turned to the boys. "I know it's a long shot, but run the same, see what comes out."

"As you wish."

She caught sight of Castle, who had a puzzled look on his face. "What is it?"

"I know that name from somewhere." He said, slowly. "I don't know from where yet, but I'll keep on it."

She thought about it herself for a moment. "You're right. I know that name too." The more she thought about it the less she remembered. Knowing it was useless to ruminate on it, she put it to one side to come back to later. "We'll work on it later. Right now, we should talk to the owner of Arch Real Ventures."

"Detective Kate Beckett." She showed her badge to the receptionist. "We'd like to speak to Mr Alan Wilson please."

"Just a moment." The young girl called through to let him know he had visitors. "He'll see you now." She indicated the door at the end of the hall.

After thanking her, they made their way to the double doors, which opened to reveal a large room with floor to ceiling windows. They were met by a short man with greying hair and glasses. "Come in, Detective. Come in."

They were ushered to a table by the windows, on top of which was a carafe of coffee and biscuits. After accepting the hot beverage Beckett began. "Do you know a man named Grant Henderson?"

"Sure, I know Grant. Great guy. Really knows his stuff when it comes to pharmaceuticals." Mr Wilson told them. "What's this about?"

"He was found dead this morning at his apartment. He'd been stabbed." She said. "How did you know him?"

It took the older man a few minutes to recover. "He helped us to develop and promote new drugs. I hired him several times to help us out. He was stabbed?"

"Yes. Do you know of anyone who would want to harm him?" Castle asked, speaking up for the first time in an hour.

"No, he was loved by everyone." He shook his head sadly. "I can't believe he's dead."

"Do you know what he's been working on lately?" Beckett tried to bring him back to the conversation.

"No, I haven't seen him in weeks. Last I heard he was taking a break from the business." He was getting visibly upset now, and wouldn't be much good to them before long.

"Mr Wilson," She started to stand and pulled out a card. "If you can think of anything that will help us, please, give me a call." The man nodded his head and took the card from her, putting it on his desk. He shakily saw them out and told the receptionist to pull up Mr Henderson's employment file for them.

They left with the file in hand, no closer to solving the case than when they started. It was getting frustrating, all they had was a name – Jez. A light went on in her head. She turned to Castle, who was turning towards her.

"Jez was part of a case!"

"Jez was part of a case!"

They made it back to the Precinct in record time and called the boys together. "We got this from the pharmaceutical company. It's the vic's employment record." She handed it to Ryan. "We also came to the conclusion that Jez was a name from a previous case, so we need to check that out too."

"Never heard of it." Ryan said, looking confused.

"Yeah, me neither." Espo chimed in.

"That's why we need to go over old cases and see why we know it from work." She looked at Castle, who nodded vigorously.

"It's definitely case related." He was a little excited about the mini breakthrough. "Just don't know which case it was."

"Ok, you guys check out our vic's employment history, we'll start looking into old cases." They boys went back to their desks to get started. Kate turned around to find Castle standing behind her looking hopeful. "What?"

"What do you want me to do?" At her incredulous look, he explained further. "The suspense is killing me. I want to know who Jez is, and the only way that will happen is to search those cases. I want to help."

"Alright." She smiled lightly at his impatience. "Let's go into the other room." They headed to the computer room, so they could search together and sort the cases into some semblance of an order.

Four hours later and the computer screen was starting to mock them. They had checked though cases dating back two years and had found no reference whatsoever to a person named Jez.

Ryan and Esposito had gone through the entire work history of their vic with no luck. He was a well liked man, who kept a well ordered life. No unusual transactions, no new people in his life or unknown phone calls. They saw that Beckett and Castle were starting to look the worse for wear so went to see them.

"Guys, you should take a break." They looked up at Ryan's voice from the door. "You've been at this for hours."

"Yeah, go get some lunch, and some sun." Esposito told them. "This will still be here when you get back."

"You're right, Espo. Thanks." Kate stood and stretched out the kink in her neck. "Fresh eyes after lunch will probably help." Castle also stood and rubbed at his neck, trying to relieve the ache that had formed between his shoulder blades. They all headed out and grabbed a sandwich and coffee, then walked the short distance to a small park, where the found an empty bench and sat to enjoy their lunch.

"So, you guys ready for Saturday?" Esposito asked, genuinely interested.

"Yes, we are. My final fitting was yesterday, the bridesmaid dresses are ready, so my list is finished."

"I'm picking up the suits tomorrow, the cake is being delivered on Friday and everything else has been taken care of." Castle added. "Last thing for both of us are the bachelor parties."

"Don't worry Castle," Ryan exchanged a glance with Esposito. "We got that covered."

"Yeah bro." Esposito fist bumped Ryan. "All you gotta do is show up."

"You're really not going to tell me what you have planned?" Castle whined, desperately wanting to know what was going to happen.

They both remained tight lipped on the subject and just shook their heads, whilst wearing identical grins.

"C'mon Castle. I don't even know what the girls are doing for me." Kate tried to reassure him. "I'm not worried, I trust them."

"Yeah, bro. We'll get you to the church on time." The phrase was supposed to be comforting, but the looks on their faces were not.

"Don't worry, Castle." Kate tried again. "They know what will happen to them if anything bad happens to you."

That succeeded in wiping the smiles of their faces and replaced it with something akin to fear. Kate smirked at the looks on the other guys faces. Satisfied she'd made her point, she leant into Castle, sipping her coffee contentedly.

They spent the remainder of the hour talking, laughing and joking, just basically doing anything but thinking of work. It could come in handy when they returned to the Precinct.

Finishing up, they made their way back, ready to begin again, and get to the bottom of the case. This time they all joined in. Ryan and Esposito went back over the cases they had checked, whilst Castle and Beckett started at two years and worked backwards.

Ryan closed the last folder on his list, moved it to checked and sat back. "Nothing. No mention of Jez anywhere in any of these files."

"Aha! Here it is!" Castle exclaimed, making everyone jump. He looked up smugly. "I found him." He pulled up the file on screen. They gathered around as Castle found the relevant page. "Two years ago we had a case involving a witch named Aurora. During her interrogation she said-"

"Oh Jez, what have you done to me?!" Beckett gasped as it all came flooding back. "Of course, it's starting to make sense now, the women, my exes."

Castle stepped closer to Kate, on the same wavelength as her. "Someone is casting spells to try and derail us."

"We need to talk to Aurora." She turned to Ryan. "Can you find out where she's being held?" The detective tapped away at the computer, finding out that she was serving out her sentence at Bedford Hills. "Call them, let them know we're coming."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

She grabbed her keys and made her way to the cruiser, with Castle in tow. On the way to the prison they discussed what they knew of the old case.

"Aurora, aka Elizabeth Rivers, killed three people, all because a guy rejected her."

"She used a drug to lure them in and watched as it, with a spell, killed them."

"During her interrogation she mentioned the name Jez, believing he'd done something to her."

"So obviously she knows who he is. With her help we may be able to find him, and solve this murder." Beckett nodded at Castle's optimism, hoping they could get some answers. If not they were stuck, as they didn't have any inkling of a lead otherwise.

They spent the rest of the ride hashing out everything they needed to know, who he was, what he did, how he knew the victim, where he would be and why would he want the victim dead.

"Hello Aurora." Detective Beckett took a seat opposite the woman, slightly shocked at the change in the woman since her incarceration began. She looked like she'd aged ten years, her hair had turned grey and she had lost a significant amount of weight. If it wasn't for her eyes, she would have been convinced it was someone else.

"Please don't call me that." The older woman cringed at hearing that name. "I haven't been her for years. My name is Beth now."

"Ok Beth." She got straight to the point. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about Jez."

At hearing the name, the woman paled and looked like she would pass out. "I haven't heard that name in a while. What do you want to know?"

"First off, do you know his real name?"

"I only know him as Jezebel or JT." She told them. "He is a very suspicious person and valued his privacy. He never told any of us his real name."

Beckett wrote down the aliases. "What did he do? What was his job?"

"He was my mentor in magic. He knows everything about it. He's also a whiz at chemistry. Whatever type of drug or spell you needed, he could do it. Didn't matter what it was. Everything I know, I learned from him, but he knows so much more."

"What do you mean?" Castle sat forward, intrigued by what he was hearing.

"From the way he spoke about it, his family is descended from the Salem witches. He is very proud of that fact. He never mentioned who it was, but we all believed him. The things he knows, the things he does, they'll make a believer out of you." She whispered the last bit, fearing he could hear her.

Beckett tried to steer the conversation back on course. "Do you know where he worked, or if he had a job?"

Beth shook her head. "No, he never mentioned a job of any sort. But if he did work, it was in some kind of chemistry based sector. That was his passion."

"Can you provide a description of him?"

"Oh no, that's not possible." She shook her head, adamantly.

"What do you mean? You obviously met him to learn from him, right?" Castle asked.

"Yes, I met with him, but he never showed anyone what he really looked like." At their confusion she elaborated. "He wore a glamour, so his real face was always hidden. We saw what we wanted to see. For me that was a young man in his late 30's, with dark hair and brown eyes." She smiled at the recollection. "He had perfected the art of projection over the years, meaning we saw what we were attracted to every time we met him. If our tastes changed, so did his appearance."

"So identifying him is next to impossible." The Detective concluded for her. The older woman nodded at her. "Do you know a man by the name of Grant Henderson?"

"I don't recognise the name, no." Beckett pulled out a picture of their victim and placed it on the table. Beth took a good look at it, then shook her head again. "Sorry Detective, I've never seen that man before in my life."

"Well, he knew Jez. They spoke to each other over the phone several times a month for the last few years."

"He never mentioned him to me." She smiled a little sadly. "But then he didn't discuss anything but magic with me."

"Is there anything you can tell us about Jez that can help us? Anything at all." Castle implored softly.

"He's extremely powerful. More powerful than anyone I know." She leant forward towards them and lowered her voice. "When we met, you didn't meet me, you met him."

"What do you mean, we never saw anyone else in the apartment."

Beth took a deep breath before continuing. "I had gone to see him when you identified me, begging him for help. He decided I wasn't worth the trouble of helping, so he cast a spell. A possession spell. That was the last thing I remembered until I woke up in your interrogation room."

"He possessed you?!" Castle was amazed and excited.

"Yes, he confessed to the murders, not me." She watched her visitors closely, looking at their expressions. The detective was looking at her sceptically, whilst the man was hooked. "Didn't you notice the change in me after he confessed? He took over my body and mind, made the confession and left me to deal with the aftermath. Knowing him like I do, I knew there was no going back. If I tried to retract it, or protest my innocence, he would have killed me."

"You really believe he could have managed that? That he could get into the Precinct unseen and commit murder right under our noses?" Detective Beckett asked, incredulously.

"I don't doubt it at all that he could kill me." She was completely sure of that. "And he wouldn't have had to enter the building to do so. He wouldn't even need to be in the vicinity. He's powerful enough to kill from anywhere in the world, with or without magic."

"Can I ask you something, unrelated to the case?" Castle asked, breathlessly. Beth nodded. "If you can do magic, how come you've never escaped?"

Ms Rivers smiled at him indulgently. "Two reasons, sir. One, if I managed to get out, Jez would find me within hours and I would end up another statistic. And two, he took my magic from me when he possessed me. I'm normal now. That's something he never told any of us, that he could take our powers from us when we became useless to him." She sat forward suddenly, startling Castle so much that he fell out of his chair. "If you find him, Detective, be very, very careful. He is extremely dangerous, and will do anything to get away. Anything."

"Thanks for the warning. One last question. I know you don't know our victim, but do you have any idea why Jez would want him dead?"

"Pride, greed, power, it could be anything. Maybe he cut him off in traffic, or insulted him in some way." Beth shrugged, non committally. "It could be anything really. He's a very prideful and narcissistic man."

They stood, bringing an end to the interview. "Thanks for your help, Beth. You've been very helpful." They shook hands and were led out of the prison.

"Well, that was..." Castle stopped, not knowing what to say.

"I know," Beckett understood what he meant. "But we know a little more about him now, so let's get back and inform the guys." They got into the car and pointed it back towards the city.

_He opened his eyes, picked up the nearest object, and with a roar of pure anger, threw it against the wall. Whatever it was shattered on impact. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" He shouted out to the empty room. "They were never supposed to identify me!"_

_A knock at the door drew his attention. He took a few deep breaths before calling "Come in."_

"_Are you alright sir? I thought I heard something break." A young woman said as she stood in the doorway._

"_Yes, Janice, everything's ok. I just got some bad news and took my frustration out on things."_

_She nodded her understanding, knowing not to ask questions and closed the door on her way out._

_Sitting at his desk again, he tried to calm down and come up with a plan. Closing his eyes and clearing his mind, he just breathed, regaining his equilibrium. Slowly a picture began to form in his mind, the perfect revenge, and a way to get them off his back for good. He opened his bottom drawer by touch and pulled out a blue crystal. Holding it in his hands, he began whispering his plan, embedding the words in it with his will alone. The crystal started to heat up, absorbing his energy so it would be ready for use when it was time. His words trailed off and the crystal returned to room temperature. "First things first, it's time to deal with you, Aurora." He smiled sinisterly at the thought of what he was about to do._

* * *

**Well we're half way through now. 11 chapters to go.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Beth had returned to her cell and was just settling in with her book when she heard it. A buzzing sound started getting louder and closer to her. Sitting up she looked around fearfully for the source. She saw a wavering form in the corner of the room, that got clearer the longer she looked at it. The blood drained from her face when the mist took on the form of her ex mentor. "Jez."

"You failed me, Aurora." A disembodied voice filled the room. "Now you must pay for it."

"No, Jez, please don't do this." She held up her hands in supplication. "Please, Jez."

"You must pay for your sins." He repeated, uncaring of her pleas.

"No, no, no!" She shouted as she was suddenly infused with all of her powers. Her eyes widened at the feeling. Without the proper barriers they were going to burn out her mind in seconds. She knew she had no chance of raising them in time and that she was about to die. Closing her eyes, she resigned herself to her fate and fell onto her bed. White, hot pain ripped through her skull, and a scream tore itself out of her throat, which died as fast as it began. She didn't fight it, knowing it would only prolong the agony. She felt blood trickling from her ears and nose and with her last breath, she cast a little protection spell, hoping that her last act would save them from his unbending wrath.

"Espo! Ryan!" Detective Beckett called as they arrived in the bullpen. She made her way to the murder board whilst Castle headed for the coffee maker. Turning around she found herself alone. Slightly confused, she looked around and found neither man at their desks. "Where are you guys?" She accepted the cup for Castle and took a much needed drink.

"Where are Ryan and Esposito?" He asked, realising they were stood there alone.

"Right here." Detective Ryan said from behind them.

"We just received a call from Bedford Hills. Elizabeth Rivers was found dead in her cell ten minutes ago." Esposito filled them in as he joined them.

"How? We just saw her, she was fine." Beckett was shocked and confused. How could someone die in the twenty minutes since they saw her in a well protected prison?

"Prison guards heard screaming coming from her cell. When they arrived they found her on her cot, covered in blood." Esposito added.

"Any idea how she died?" Castle chimed in.

"None. We'll have to wait for the autopsy for that answer." Ryan said, closing his notebook.

Both Castle and Beckett were momentarily speechless at the latest turn of events. Their only witness about Jez turns up dead minutes after they speak to her. If she was murdered by their suspect, they had a world of trouble on their hands.

"Ok, we'll deal with that later. Aurora gave us some information we should be able to follow up on. A name – Jezebel or JT. We don't have a description, apparently the guy can change his image to suit the person he's talking to. He's narcissistic, very dangerous and very powerful. He mentored her in magic, and even took her powers away when she displeased him." Beckett saw the looks of disbelief on the other detectives faces. "I know what you're thinking. I didn't believe her either, but she said he had the ability to kill from anywhere in the world." She let that sink in for a minute before continuing. "She was killed in a locked room, where the only way in was through the door and past all the guards."

Their expressions became serious as they heard the conviction in her tone. They sat at their desks and began to go through the notes she had brought back, hoping that the guy wasn't as bad as he sounded.

"We need to look deeper into Aurora." Beckett said as she put the half drunk coffee on her desk and sat down. "She may have inadvertently given us some more leads to pursue, other people to talk to. We should find out who else she trained with." She pulled up the arrest record for Elizabeth Rivers, looking for any small detail that would point them in any direction. It was going to be a long evening.

"_It's time." Jez said to the ether. "Time to end this, once and for all." He took out the crystal and placed it on the table. Ducking his head and closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to clear his mind. He focused on his breathing for a few minutes, finding the inner calm he needed to complete this particular spell. Once he was centred, he opened his eyes and began. "Show me." He stared at the crystal and waited for the images to appear. He smiled as the first images flickered in the clear glass. Grabbing a pencil and paper he took down all the details, never breaking eye contact with the blue crystal._

_An hour later the last image died and he broke contact with a sigh. He took a look at what he had written down. "This is perfect." He split the list of details into seven, one for each item on the agenda. "Let's get started." He put the crystal away, hissing at the freezing temperature of it now that it's job was complete, and logged into his computer to get started._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Beckett sighed and rubbed her eyes, catching sight of the clock on the wall. She stood and walked over to the boys, wanting to see where they had got to. "Hey guys. Got anything?"

They shook their headed in unison, confirming what she already knew. "Let's call it a night guys, pick it up tomorrow."

They cracked their necks and stood, happy to be heading home for the night. "See you in the morning." Esposito called as he headed for the elevator.

Ryan grabbed his coat and followed his partner, eager to get home to his wife and baby girl. "Night, guys."

That left her and Castle, almost alone in the Precinct. He watched as she stretched, loosening the muscles that had tightened over the day. He couldn't stand by and watch the discomfort she was in. He stood and took her hand, silently leading her to the stairs, and beyond that, home.

Kate smiled quizzically at Castle's back as he led her from the Precinct to her car. He clearly had a plan for the rest of the night, and she was looking forward to it.

A movement from her left caught her eye and she looked over in time to see a male shape rush Castle. Her cry of alarm was a little too late. As Rick turned to see what the problem was, he was tackled by a large man. They went crashing to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. A fist came flying at his face, but Castle saw it quickly enough, so he was able to dodge the worst of it, and it only caught his ear. Reacting on instinct, he shoved the figure away from him and into the light.

Kate gasped as she saw Josh stumble away from Castle, a look of utter rage on his once beautiful face. The doctor charged at her fiance, intent on doing some serious harm. She could only stand and watch as past and present came to blows. Rick was shocked that the guy attacking him was Josh, he never once believed that would ever happen, but it was, and he had to stop it before it went too far. He jumped back as the doctor charged him, looking for some way to end it quickly. He saw him stumble slightly, and looked closer. He noticed a few things that weren't normal for the doctor and realised Josh was drunk. That was his in. He watched as the doctor regained his footing and attempted to come at him again. Castle waited until the last moment and stepped to the side. The younger man couldn't stop his momentum and hit the car behind Castle with some force, knocking the wind out of him. Rick was on him in a flash, pinning him to the car and holding a hand out to Kate. When he felt nothing he turned his head to find his fiance staring at them in a daze.

"Kate! Kate, handcuffs!" He shook his hand at her to get her attention.

Kate snapped out of it at his shout and withdrew her handcuffs, taking over from Castle, who was tiring quickly, and snapped them on the struggling doctor.

"Stop it Josh. It's over." She leant over the doctor to stare coldly into his eyes, so he could see she meant business. "You're under arrest." She read him his rights before she turned to Castle, who was leaning against the car, breathing heavily. She carefully touched his ear, where he got clipped and winced at the bright red mark forming.

"I'm ok, Kate. It doesn't really hurt, and it helped that he's drunk. His punches were sloppy." He smiled at the concern on his beautiful fiance's face. He placed a hand on her jaw and brought her face to his for a slow, sweet kiss.

She touched her forehead to his and closed her eyes, not wanting to move. "I love you, so much Rick."

He tipped her head up and looked deep into her eyes. He knew exactly where her mind was going at that moment. "I love you too, Kate. And I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled at the conviction in his tone, believing that he would always be there with her, through everything. "We should deal with Josh."

"I've got him, Detective." A voice next to them startled them out of their little bubble. "You two go on home."

"Sir?" Kate asked, as she saw her boss standing next to them, holding onto the inebriated doctor with ease. "What are you still doing here?"

"I left some paperwork here that I needed, so I came back." The Captain said. "I saw everything that happened. I can take him in. He'll spend the night sobering up and you can charge him in the morning." Captain Gates dragged the doctor towards the elevator without another word.

"Thanks, Captain." Castle called after her. He did a double take as he could have sworn he saw a smile of pride on her face as the doors closed on them.

"Let's go home Castle." Kate pulled him up with her and they finally made it to her car with no further trouble.

"Are you sure you're ok?" She asked again, once they were safely in the elevator heading for the loft.

He gently pushed her against the wall, crowding her with his body. "Yes, Kate. I'm fine." He kissed her urgently, eliciting a similar response in Kate.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, forgetting they were in public and tried to climb his body too. She moaned as his lips left hers and found that sweet spot on her neck, and sucked gently.

He was going to leave a mark on her skin, so everyone would know she was his. He spent a little time on the mark, making sure it was perfect. Lifting his head, he smirked at the purplish mark that had already risen. He kissed it before returning to her mouth. They were so caught up in each other that they failed to realise the elevator had stopped and the doors were open.

The sound of a throat clearing had them jumping apart. They quickly righted their clothing and attempted to smooth their hair as they made their way out to join the man standing in front of them. Castle recovered first and noticed it was Will, who just stood staring in disbelief at the pair of them.

"Hello, Will. What are you doing here?"

The FBI agent shook himself off and regained his composure. "I came to talk to Kate actually." He turned to the Detective and immediately saw the vivid hickey on the side of her neck. He wasn't aware he was staring until she rearranged her hair to cover it. "I actually came here to apologize to you, and hope that we still had a chance."

"Will, I-"

"It's ok, Kate. I know. After your little display there, I now know that there is no chance for us, is there?" She shook her head, saddened that the man couldn't grasp the truth until he saw it.

"You're a great guy Will, and I'm sure you'll find your soul mate soon." She looked at Castle and her expression changed to one of love. "I've found mine, in the form of this wonderful writer, and I couldn't be happier. I'm sorry, Will."

"I understand, Kate, and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did and left you without a word."

"That's alright, and thanks." The agent nodded and turned away, heading for the stairs.

"Congratulations." He called to the pair as he turned the corner and left them to head downstairs.

They stood there for a moment, slightly shocked at the turn of events.

"Well, that was different." Castle said, as he started walking towards the loft. "He didn't even try to hit me."

"Yeah, I know." Kate joined him at the door. "Given the last two encounters I was, at the very least, expecting an argument."

"Maybe our little display is what did the trick." He smirked suggestively at her whilst she blushed and ducked her head.

"Shut up." She pushed him through the open door and followed him, closing it behind her. She kicked off her shoes and headed for the bedroom, intent on getting into some comfortable clothing. She pulled on some yoga pants and one of his old t-shirts and joined him in the kitchen.

Castle handed her a glass of wine and smiled at the sight of his fiance in his clothes. He always loved it when she chose to wear his clothing, it made him happy.

She tip a healthy sip of the wine and caught sight of his expression. "What?"

"I like you in my clothes." He stated simply.

She looked down at the green lantern shirt she'd chosen and smiled back. "Me too." They stayed like that for a while, until their stomachs started grumbling loudly.

"Shall we order in?" He produced a few menus from a nearly drawer for her perusal.

"I quite fancy a pizza tonight." She had a craving for pepperoni and cheese.

He handed her the pizza menu and the phone, letting her make the decision, and went to change clothes himself.

When he came out he found her settled on the couch, waiting for him. She made space for him behind her and handed him his wine once he joined her.

"Hell of a day, huh?" He commented, reliving everything that had happened.

"Yeah, hell of a day." She tipped her head up so she could see him. "I hope we never have to repeat it."

He clinked his glass with hers, saying "Here, here" before taking a sip.

They remained that way, lost in each other until the pizza arrived 30 minutes later. Castle got up to fetch his wallet, but was beaten to it by Kate, who had already put some money aside for the delivery guy.

After paying the man, she brought the pizza's to the coffee table, where they helped themselves to a few slices of each. Sitting back they ate in silence, constantly touching, or kissing each other. When they finished they found they still had several slices left, so they put them into one box and left a note for Alexis, if she wanted any.

They had just put the pizza in the oven to keep when the young woman walked in. "Hi dad, Kate."

"Hey pumpkin, how was the movie?"

"It was great dad, even better than the book." She gushed as she headed for the kitchen, "I can't wait for the sequel."

He smiled at his daughter's exuberance over the new film series. "There's pizza in the oven if you're hungry." Alexis pulled it out and helped herself to the leftovers.

"Thanks dad. I'm starved." She grabbed a glass of juice and the pizza and sat at the counter to eat her dinner.

Kate went to grab a book to read and Castle headed into the study. He had just had a great idea for a scene so he wanted to get in written down. Kate picked up one of his early novels, one that she had read when she wanted to escape from the reality of her mother's death, and went into the lounge to read it. It helped her to feel closer to her when she was making a big change in her life. Marrying Castle in two days was a huge change, and she wanted to hear her mother just once before she walked down the aisle and became his wife.

"Kate, can I talk to you for a minute?" The small voice came from the kitchen. She turned to see Alexis putting her plate in the dishwasher, not looking in her direction.

"Alexis, did you say something?" She asked, unsure if she heard her right.

"Yes," She made her way to the couch to join her. "I did. I mean, I do." She started fiddling with the buttons on her shirt.

Kate put her hand over the younger woman's fingers, stilling her movement. "Alexis, you can tell me anything, you know that right?"

She nodded her head, building her courage for what she wanted to say.

Kate waited in silence, letting Alexis start in her own time.

"You love my dad, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, very much."

"And you want to marry him."

"Absolutely."

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I do. Alexis, where is this coming from?"

"Most of dad's previous girlfriends were never interested in me, they just wanted him – his fame, his money. I was always an afterthought."

"Alexis, listen to me. You are never an afterthought with me. Never. I knew what I was getting into when I started seeing your dad. Even before then, I always thought about you, especially when we would get into bad situations at work. I know what it's like to grow up without a parent and I never wanted that for you. Not that it did any good, your father just seems to invite trouble wherever he goes." She smiled at the memories of some of the situations they had found themselves in over the years.

"So you don't mind inheriting me when you get married on Saturday?"

"Not at all. In fact, I'm looking forward to it. I've always thought of you as family, and now we will be. I know you already have a mom, and I could never hope to replace her. I just hope you know that you can always talk to me, about anything. I'll always be here for you."

"I've always looked up to you, Kate. I'm glad you'll become my step mom this weekend." They both pulled a face at the term 'step mom.'

"Perhaps you should just call me Kate."

"Sounds like a good idea." She hugged the older woman, glad that her fears were unfounded and that she wanted to adopt her too. "Thanks Kate, for understanding."

"No problem, Alexis." The younger woman headed upstairs, saying she had a paper due next week, and she wanted to get it done tonight so she didn't have to worry about it over the weekend.

Castle watched from the darkened doorway as his daughter left the room, after being comforted about her fears by his fiance. His heart swelled with pride at Kate's selflessness and her choice to accept his family, even his crazy mother. Without a word, he made his way over to the couch and kissed her thoroughly. Raising his head, he smiled at her and wordlessly pulled her towards the bedroom, where he intended to make love to her for the entire night.

_He worked long into the night, garnering success from all avenues. For the last item on the agenda it required total concentration for it to work on two places at once. He gathered up the necessary ingredients and placed them in a bowl. Closing his eyes he pictured the two buildings. Once he had them in his mind he lit a match, recited the phrase "incendetque ea super terram" (burn them to the ground), then dropped the match into the bowl. The mixture caught fire immediately and turned blue, indicating the spell had worked. He smiled tiredly and sat down on a nearby bench, glad to have finished for the night._

_He sat there for a few minutes before he heard sirens heading up the block. "Perfect." He watched the fire die down in the bowl and extinguish completely. Once it had cooled down he packed up all his belongings and walked out of the park._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Okay, thanks." She paused. "No, it's not your fault. It happens." Another pause. "Really? You still have it." She exhaled in relief. "Thanks for the call." She hung up, a look of utter disbelief on her face, mingled with sadness.

"What is it?" Castle asked as he joined her at her desk, with a fresh cup of coffee.

She accepted the warmth, but didn't immediately take a sip. "That was the boutique. It burned down last night, the dresses are gone." She spoke almost on autopilot. "The fire spread so fast that it got the store next door too."

Castle's eyes widened in despair. "The suits! They're gone!" They stared at each other wordlessly for what felt like hours until Ryan and Esposito disturbed them.

"Hi guys." Ryan stopped when he saw their faces. "What's wrong?"

Beckett filled them in. "The shops where we got our dresses and suits burned down last night, they're gone. We have nothing to wear to the wedding on Saturday."

"What?!" Esposito shouted, startling everyone in the bullpen. "How did that happen?"

"Don't know." She said, dully. "Fire investigators are down there right now, looking into it."

Officer Hastings approached the silent group with a few notes, which she gave to Detective Beckett.

"Thanks, Hastings." She read through each note with growing despair. The other detectives and Castle watched as her expression went from despair to utter hopelessness. She put the messages down and sat in stunned silence.

"Kate, please, talk to me." Castle pleaded. "Tell me what's going on."

Instead of answering him, she gave him the notes and walked off to the break room. Esposito and Ryan gathered around him and read them over his shoulder. Their venue had an infestation, so they had been closed for fumigation, so that and the drinks were gone, the caterer was being shut down by the Health Inspector, who found rat droppings in the kitchen, and the florist had suddenly gone out of business.

"Oh man. Is this really happening?" Ryan asked when they finished reading. "Have you really lost everything for your big day?"

Castle nodded absently, running through it all in his mind. "Yes, everything. No, wait, we still have the cake, there's no message here from the bakery." He left the boys standing there and went to go see Kate, who was hiding in the break room.

"It's ruined, Castle. Our wedding day is ruined. There's no chance of getting anything together in time now." She held her head in her hands, completely defeated.

Castle sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms, completely out of words for once in his life. They sat cradling each other for a long time, just holding onto each other as their world seemed to fall apart around them.

"Detectives Ryan and Esposito." Captain Gates called from her office. They made their way to her where she closed the door behind them. "It's come to my attention that the priest who was set to marry Mr Castle and Detective Beckett this weekend died last night. Also Alexis called me, frantic, saying that she can't reach her dad and that the bakery never received his message, so they have no cake now."

Ryan and Esposito shared a look of disbelief. "That's not going to go down well, Captain." Esposito told her. "They just found out that all of their plans for Saturday have been destroyed. They lost the suits, the dresses, the venue, the food and the flowers."

"Yeah, they're devastated." Ryan looked out, attempting to see through the wall at the unhappy couple.

An idea started to form in all of their minds at the same time. They locked eyes with each other. "No, we can't, can we?" Esposito wondered out loud.

"You think we can pull it off?" Ryan asked, looking to his boss for answers.

"I don't know yet." She thought a little more about it and came to a conclusion. "Let me make a few calls and meet me back here at one o'clock."

With that they were dismissed. "Also, send them home, they won't get anything else done today, and the case isn't going anywhere. Tell them to come back tomorrow, when they've had time to process it all."

They gingerly approached the couple on the couch, not wanting to disturb them, but knowing that they needed to get them home. "Kate? Castle? Come on, it's time to go home." They helped them to stand and led them out of the precinct with no complaints. The ride back to the loft was solemn for all four of them, no words were spoken. The situation demanded silence, and they all respected that. Ryan led them upstairs, taking the keys from Castle and opened the door. They were met by silence, with both Martha and Alexis being conspicuously absent. After leading them to the couch, the two detectives gently asked them if they needed anything else. When they got twin shakes of the heads from the couple, they left them to grieve in peace.

"I'm glad you all were able to join me here at such short notice." Captain Gates surveyed everyone in front of her. "By now you all know the problems Castle and Beckett are facing right now." A series of murmurs and nods met her statement. "I saw the looks on their faces when they were escorted home this morning, they are understandably devastated."

"Katie was really looking forward to this weekend." Jim blurted out. "She was so happy, glowing really. I know this will have crushed her."

"Dad too." Alexis piped up. "I've never seen him so giddy, so much in love and ready to settle down as he is with Kate."

"So I had an idea. I don't know it if it will work, or if we'll be able to pull it off, but maybe, just maybe, we can." She stopped in front of them. "I'm suggesting we do it, that we make sure they get married on Saturday."

They all stopped breathing as they thought about it for a moment. "Do you really think we can do it?" Lanie asked. "I mean, we have a little over a day to get it done. Is it even possible to put together a wedding in a day?"

"Anything's possible when you believe." Martha said, adding some Martha wisdom to the situation. "We can have the wedding in the Hamptons. It'll be intimate and perfect there."

"I have some friends who are avid gardeners." Jim told them. "I can talk to them about getting some flowers picked for them."

"Ok, good." Gates said, "What else is there?"

"There's food and drink, the cake, the dresses, suits, oh and a priest." Alexis recited from the list she was making.

"Jenny and I can do the food, she's been wanting to do some baking for weeks now, but hasn't found the time." Ryan spoke up. "This will be the perfect opportunity."

"I got the drinks." Espo chimed in. "I know a place I can get what we need."

"That leaves the cake, priest and outfits." Alexis said, looking up from her list. "I can deal with the clothes."

Lanie cleared her throat nervously. "I can make the cake. I used to do a lot of baking for my friends back in college."

"So, all we need now is someone to marry them." Jim said to the room at large.

"I got that covered." Gates said, shocking everyone. "I can marry them." She saw the looks on everyone's faces, so explained further. "I'm an ordained minister, have been for a few years."

Alexis recovered first, not knowing the Captain as well as some of the others in the room. "Well, we should get to work, we don't have much time to get this done."

That got everybody moving. The civilians left first, leaving Ryan and Esposito to have a quiet word with the boss. "What about the case?"

"If you get any more leads, give them the Beckett in the morning. They can focus on the case whilst we deal with the wedding." She told them. The nodded and headed back out into the bullpen to make some calls.

"What are we going to do Castle? We can't get married now on Saturday." Kate asked as she poured them both a glass of wine.

"I honestly don't know, Kate." He told her sadly. "We'll have to postpone."

"I know," She sighed deeply. "I was really looking forward to it. I'm more than ready to marry you and become your wife."

"Me too," He caught sight of her smirk over the rim of her wine glass. "I meant becoming your husband, Kate."

She put her wine glass down and walked right up to him, putting her hands on his hips. "I know what you meant, Rick, but you do make it so easy to tease you at times."

He couldn't resist that grin, so he kissed it right of her face. "I love you."

"Me too." She kissed him again quickly before sobering up. "We'll figure this out, won't we?"

"Of course we will." He told her confidently. "We've overcome much worse in our journey to get here, this is just a hiccup. We'll be married before you know it."

They both turned at the sound of voices as the front door opened.

"-sure everyone is aware of the situation." Alexis said, as they walked into the loft.

"I can go up there tomorrow and see what needs to be done." Martha stopped as she caught sight of the pair of them in each others arms. "Hello there darlings. Are you ok?"

"Yes, mother, we're going to be fine." He reassured his family. "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh nothing, just a little project I'm working on. You'll see soon enough." With that little tidbit Martha swept upstairs, claiming tiredness.

"Alexis?" He asked his daughter, hoping to get a straight answer.

"Don't worry dad," She kissed his cheek and started to follow her grandmother. "You'll know what she meant soon enough."

He turned to Kate to see a similar expression of confusion on her face. "Well, that was cryptic."

"Yeah." She shook herself out of it and returned to the problem at hand. "What about all our guests? We have to call them and tell them the wedding is off."

"I'm not looking forward to that." He went to the counter, where they had put all the paperwork for the wedding. "Can we leave it for tonight? I don't think I can face all the questions right now."

"Me neither. I suppose we can wait until the morning before telling everyone." She started pulling out pots and pans, intent on losing herself in making dinner, at least for a while. Castle joined her once he knew what she wanted to make, and they spent the next hour moving around the kitchen preparing a meal for the four of them.

Dinner was a sombre affair, they barely spoke to one another, each caught up in their own minds. Kate and Rick were worrying over the fact that they had lots of calls to make in the morning, whilst Martha and Alexis were busy going over what they needed to do tomorrow to pull it off.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Setup – Thursday Evening**

**Ryan**

"Hey, sweetie, how was your day?" Jenny greeted her husband with a kiss as he walked through the door.

"It was tough." He told her. "We got nowhere with the case, and to top it off, Castle and Beckett's wedding is a disaster. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

"Oh no, what happened?" She led him to the couch, not wanting any distractions.

He listed the problems for her. "The venue is being fumigated, the priest has died, the suit and dress places burned down, the baker didn't get their order and the florist went bust. They lost it all."

"That's awful, how did they take it?"

"They were devastated, we had to send them home. There was no way they could work with this hanging over them."

"So the wedding's off then." She drew the natural conclusion.

"No, not if we can help it." He explained further when he saw her confusion. "We had a meeting earlier this afternoon and agreed that we would attempt to pull it off ourselves. We all took an item on the list to try to complete by Saturday afternoon. So, if it's ok with you, I said we could provide the food."

"That's a huge undertaking Kev, I mean, how many people are there going to be?" She was uneasy about the scale of the job.

"Not a huge amount, just the people who really matter. We talked to the guests, explained the situation and ended up with about fifty people in all."

"That's not so bad, but it's still a lot of work."

"I know, which is why Gates has given us all the day off tomorrow so we can get everything together, then on Saturday morning we can take it all up to the Hamptons."

Jenny absorbed the news, and the enormity of the task ahead of them. She started thinking about what type of food they would need for a small, intimate wedding.

Kevin watched as his wife's mind started turning, coming up with ideas. He saw when she began nodding, meaning she was on board with the idea.

She looked up into her husbands eyes and smiled. "We need to go shopping."

"Great." They got up and made their way out, intent on gathering all the supplies they needed for a wedding meal.

**Esposito**

"Hey Tommy. I need a favour." Esposito called out as he walked into the liquor store.

The owner walked out of the back, and a smile lit his face as he saw his old friend. "Javi! How are you, my man?"

"I'm good, Tommy, yeah." They gave each other back slaps as a greeting. "Like I was saying I need a favour.

"Yeah, yeah, what do you need?"

"Some friends of mine are getting married on Saturday afternoon and they've just lost everything."

"That's terrible. How can I help?"

"Well, a group of us have got together to ensure they do make it down the aisle this weekend, so we made a list. I picked the drinks, as I knew you could help me."

"Wow." Tommy said, impressed with the idea of arranging everything in a day. "Ok, so you'll want lots of alcohol."

"Yeah, we'll need Champagne, wine, spirits, beers. We'll also need non alcoholic, like cola, orange juice and water, as well as tea and coffee"

The owner wrote the order down, noting where each item could be found. "The alcohol is not a problem, I got plenty here and in the back. For the hot drinks and non alcoholic, that's a little more tricky. Ed down the street at the bodega should have everything you need."

"That's cool, as long as you can get it together by Saturday morning that's fine." Javier told him.

"No problem, I'll give him a call in a minute and get what you need." Tommy drew a line between the two lots of orders. "How many people are there going to be?"

"We got around fifty, with around ten minors and one recovering alcoholic."

"How do you want to pay for this?"

"Don't worry man, I got it covered."

"Sure, sure." He backed off. "Leave this with me. I'll get some stuff together for you and talk to Eddie. Give me a call tomorrow morning and I'll let you know what I've got."

"Cheers, dude." Esposito left the store, pleased that his part of the wedding was sorted. All he would need to do was pick it up and deliver it on the day.

**Lanie**

"Hey Janie." The ME greeted her friend as she walked into the bar. "Thanks for meeting me at such short notice."

"No problem, girlfriend." She sat down and took a sip of the drink Lanie had already ordered for her. "Now, what's the emergency?"

"You know how my best friend Kate is getting married this weekend." At her nod, she continued. "Well they've hit a snag. A series of events have meant that all their plans have been cancelled. They're devastated."

"I'll bet they are, and so close to the big day too." She sighed. "I feel bad for them having to postpone."

"That's the thing, we're hoping they don't have to." She told Janie. "A group of us got together and decided to take it upon ourselves to fill in the gaps. I said I'd make the cake."

"Oh, I remember your cakes, they were delicious." Her friend closed her eyes as she reminisced on the past.

"Thank you. I was hoping to borrow a couple of recipes from you so I could bake the perfect cake for them." Lanie asked, hoping she was right in that her friend would want to help.

"Of course you can, Lanie." She said excitedly. "If you need some help, I have tomorrow afternoon off, I can come by and lend a hand."

Dr Parish was touched that her very busy self employed baker friend wanted to help her make a masterpiece. "I'd like that, Janie, thanks."

"Alright. Now let's talk flavours." She pulled out a notebook and turned to a fresh page. "What flavours do they like?"

"Castle loves chocolate, he's like a big kid." She smiled at the thought of the author. "And Kate loves victoria sponge. But I was thinking of a few more flavours to add to the mix."

"Okay, how many layers do you want?"

"Let's say four." Lanie told her about her conversation with Alexis. "Castle's daughter said they were arguing over flavours the other day and Martha threw lemon into the equation as well."

"So maybe we should do one layer of each flavour." She said to the doctor. "We can have a flavoured sponge with an icing of the same taste and colour on the top."

"Let's do the chocolate on the top, especially for Castle, then do a strawberry layer, followed by a lemon layer and at the bottom a traditional sponge." Lanie watched as Janie wrote it all down.

"Perfect." Her friend said, jotting down a few more ideas. She put her notebook away and took another sip of her drink. "You know, if we go now we can find everything we need at the store down the street. So that you don't need to grab it all in the morning."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea." Lanie downed the last of her drink and stepped of the stool. "With you there I'm not likely to miss a vital ingredient."

They made their way down the street, throwing ideas back and forth, all the way to the corner store.

**Jim**

Jim Beckett pulled up to the house and looked out at the yard. There were dozens of flowers up and down the street, which was just what he was looking for. He walked up to the door and was greeted by several women – old friends from work who preferred to live outside the city.

"Jim, please come in." Alana said, kissing his cheek and leading them into the lounge. "You sounded quite urgent on the phone."

He settled into a chair and accepted the coffee that Juliette, another friend, handed to him. "Thanks. As you know, my Katie was supposed to be getting married this weekend." They all nodded proudly, they had known her for most of her life. "Well, circumstances have foiled those plans. They lost everything they had planned – the food, venue, suits, dresses and so on."

His statement was met with shocked murmurs and gasps. "That's awful." Alana said.

"She must be devastated." Tara added, speaking up for the first time.

"She is." He sighed. "It breaks my heart to know she's hurting. But hopefully we can remedy that. Her boss got us together for an emergency meeting this afternoon. She suggested we could throw something together in time for the weekend. I volunteered to provide flowers and was wondering if you lovely ladies would be willing to help."

"Jim, of course we'll help. How could you even think we wouldn't?" Alana spoke for the entire group, who all nodded eagerly.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Not at all. We'd be honoured to help." Tara told him.

"Okay, do you know what flowers they had settled on?" Juliette asked, pulling out a pad of paper from the nearby bureau.

"No, I'm afraid I don't." He shook his head, embarrassed. "I don't know much about flowers."

"That's alright, Jim. We know enough between us to figure something out. Right, ladies." Alana turned to the others to see them agreeing with her.

"Do you know what Kate's favourite flower is?" Juliette asked, not looking up from the paper.

"She never had a favourite, she loved all flowers, except for lillies – they make her sneeze." He smiled at the memory of the discovery of her allergy.

"So any flowers will do, apart from lillies." Alana mused, going through the choices in their gardens. "The first choice is roses, between us we have nearly every colour."

"Definitely, we can intersperse them with carnations, daisies-"

Jim got lost in the rest of the conversation as the women went through dozens of flower names and arrangements. They obviously knew what they were talking about and what flowers complimented each other.

Within the hour they had come up with the bridal bouquet, the bridesmaid's arrangements and the settings for every area of the Hamptons venue.

Jim left with promises from the women to pick the flowers and arrange them tomorrow afternoon, giving him time to get them to the house in the evening for Martha to arrange them as needed. He left feeling lighter about the whole thing. Maybe they could pull it off after all.

**Alexis**

After dinner Alexis excused herself to begin researching outfits for the wedding. They had agreed not to tell her dad and Kate until they knew they could do it, so she was going to spent a few hours looking up ideas on the internet and in the magazines she had brought home. She picked up her computer from where she had left it and logged in, knowing where she wanted to start.

She opened up a site specifically for men's special occasions, where they boasted the ability to make or adjust a suit within twenty four hours. She browsed the items in question, looking for tuxedos. When she found the section she looked at the colourings and sizes. She was in luck, there were several black tuxes that had sizes for Esposito Ryan and Jim, so she put them on reserve. For her father it was a little trickier, they had trousers in his size, but the shirt and jacket would need to be adjusted. She filled in the details on what she needed and sent the order through, stating she would be there to pick them up on Saturday morning at 10am. Within a minute she had a reply from the owner of the store saying her order had been received and would be ready for her to pick up at the time she wanted.

She crossed the suits off the list with a smile, glad that the easy part was over, as the next stage was infinitely more difficult. She had one wedding dress, and three bridesmaid dresses to sort out.

Her first email was to the owner of the boutique whose store had burned down, she asked for her to send over Kate's measurements so she would know what would fit her without any changes to be made.

Whilst waiting for a reply she started looking for dresses for Lanie and herself. The ME had given her her sizes, with a message that whatever she found, to make sure it was not yellow or orange. They were not favourite colours of hers. She skimmed through several websites, finding nothing remotely good enough for a wedding.

A chime indicated she had an email. It was Julia from the dress store. She had forwarded on Kate's details and also mentioned that she had her veil with her. It had missed out on the fire as she had taken it home to combine it with a comb. She said she could deliver it to her tomorrow morning if it was ok. Alexis thanked her and said that would be fine, as long as it was after 9 so she wouldn't risk Kate seeing it.

With that sorted she carried on searching for bridesmaid dresses. She came across a family run website with a store not far from Fifth Avenue. She grew more and more excited as she searched through their range. Checking the sizes, she found the perfect dresses for her, Lanie and Jenny and they didn't need any adjustments. After ensuring they were in stock, she put them in the basket and, on a hunch, checked out their bridal range.

After looking over all the offerings with a critical eye, and finding nothing, she placed her order for the bridesmaid dresses, saying she would pick them up tomorrow morning.

She was running out of options, and time. She needed to find something suitable for Kate to wear, something one of a kind, something that was uniquely Kate. Deciding she needed a distraction she searched for images of wedding dresses instead of sites, just wanting to see what else was out there. She scrolled down the page, skimming the pictures when one caught her eye. It wasn't a traditional wedding dress, but it was quintessentially Kate. It was a gold floor length gown, with a deep red, three inch wide sash around the waist. It had long sleeves that widened slightly at the ends, edged with diamonds. A mental image of Kate in it flashed through her mind, and she knew it was perfect. Clicking on the image she found that it was part of the Mathilda King summer collection and was a one of a kind.

She visited the website and found the dress in question. It said that the dress had been made for one of her models, who had since left the industry. Alexis checked the dimensions and found that it was exactly the right size. The length has a little more that Kate's height, but that could be remedied with a pair of high heels. She immediately messaged the owner, explaining her predicament, saying that the dress was exactly what she was looking for, and that she needed it right away. She even mentioned who it was for, hoping that her father's fame would help their situation.

She kept looking, just in case she was turned down, but she didn't feel very optimistic on finding anything even remotely as good as this one.

About half an hour after she sent the message, her phone rang. She looked at the number and saw it was one she didn't recognise. It had a New York area code, so she answered it tentatively.

"Hello?"

"Is this Alexis Castle?" A curt voice asked.

"Yes, this is she."

"You recently made an inquiry about my summer wedding dress."

Alexis sat up straighter as she realised she was talking to Mathilda King. "Yes, I did."

"Why?" Came the short response.

"My father was supposed to be getting married at the weekend, but a series of incidents have destroyed all that." She told the fashion mogul. "A group of us decided that were weren't going to let that stop them from walking down the aisle. I chose to sort of the wedding outfits. I saw your dress and knew it was perfect for the bride. It's exactly her size and I hoped that it was available to buy."

"You hoped that your father's name would get you what you wanted." Ms King told her, seeing right through the young girls plan. "Well, I have no interest in your father." Alexis's heart sank at those words. "The bride, however is another story. Katherine Beckett is of great interest to me."

"Really, you know Kate?" Alexis interrupted.

"Yes, I do. She used to model for me, and she could have gone on to be a hugely successful model if she'd stayed with me." Mathilda told her. "I actually made that dress with her in mind. I wanted something one of a kind, something extraordinary, and that dress is the result."

"I can see her wearing it, and I know she would do it justice." The young girl said, trying to make her case.

"I know she would." The older woman sighed. "And I'm inclined to grant your request. Come by my office tomorrow lunchtime and we'll talk."

"Thank you so much. I can be there at 12, is that okay." Alexis asked.

"That's fine, I'll leave word with my receptionist to send you right up when you arrive." She hung up without a goodbye, but Alexis wasn't fazed. She had done it. She'd found the perfect wedding dress and the designer was willing to part with it. She ticked off the last item on her list before double checking the orders she had placed and the times she needed to pick them up. Satisfied that everything was done, shut down her computer and made her way downstairs for a celebratory bowl of ice cream.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Friday**

**Castle and Beckett**

"Detective Beckett, Mr Castle, my office." Gates called as she stepped off the elevator into the bullpen.

They followed the Captain into her office, confused, as they had done nothing to incur her wrath this morning.

Once they were seated, she began. "I know all about what happened yesterday, how all your plans met with disaster, and that the wedding looks to be off."

"Yes sir, we-"

"Let me finish, detective." She admonished the interruption. "After you were taken home yesterday I held a meeting. We all agreed that the wedding will go ahead as planned." She held up a hand, forestalling any questions. "I have spoke to everyone this morning, and they have managed to pull it all together."

"What do you mean?" Castle asked, recovering from shock and confusion first.

"I mean that you two are getting married tomorrow afternoon on the beach outside your house in the Hamptons, Mr Castle."

"How did you manage that, sir?" Kate inquired quietly.

"With the help of all those that love you, detective. Between the seven of us, we've got everything covered." Gates told them. "There's just one thing we need from you, besides your presence at the ceremony."

"What's that Captain?"

"Stay on this case, solve it if you can, before the end of the day. We'll take care of the rest." With that dismissal they walked back out to Beckett's desk in a daze.

"What just happened, Castle?" She whispered, unable to believe what she had heard.

"I think we're getting married tomorrow, thanks to our friends and family, Kate." Castle surmised, reading between the lines.

"How?"

"I don't know, but if they put their minds to it, I'm sure they've managed to pull it off." She nodded distractedly, her mind whirling with the news they had just received.

"One more thing, Detective," Gates popped her head out of her office. "Mr Davison is waiting for you downstairs. He's sober and wants to talk to both of you."

"Thanks." Beckett answered automatically. They sat there for a moment longer until what the Captain had said sunk in, then both of their heads snapped up.

Without a word they made their way down to the cells, uncertain as to what to expect from the doctor. When they arrived in front of the cell, the doctor stood up and moved to the bars.

"Kate, Castle." He acknowledged each of them in turn. Neither of them gave him a response. "I know there's nothing I can say to excuse my behaviour last night. I reacted badly to your news and in a moment of total stupidity, I went out and got drunk. For some reason I believed what I wanted and not what was the truth, and I took that out on you, Castle. I just want to say I'm sorry, and I'll accept whatever charges you want to press."

They absorbed the apology, sensing that the doctor was being straight with them. Castle looked at Kate and silently asked her opinion. She nodded slightly, saying she believed him, but it was his decision on what to do with him.

"Thank you Josh, for your apology." Castle said. "I accept. I've decided not to press charges, but I will be getting a restraining order against you. You're a good man, Josh, but I don't want to see you near me again for a long while, okay?"

"Of course," He blew out a breath in relief that he wouldn't be charged with anything. "After today you'll never see me again, I promise. I really don't know what came over me yesterday."

Castle turned away and headed out of the cells, leaving Kate to have the last word. "Goodbye Josh, I hope that someday soon you'll find someone who makes you as happy as Rick makes me."

Not waiting for a response, she followed her fiance out to find him waiting with a big smile on his face. "What?"

"Do I really make you that happy?" He asked, the grin not moving.

"Yes." She left it at that and walked back upstairs, knowing he would follow her anywhere.

They returned to the bullpen and immediately jumped back into the case. Beckett picked up Beth's phone records and Castle grabbed her financials from two years ago. With a pen and paper between them they dove in.

An hour later they had a list of people and places which showed up in both sections. They put the paperwork away and went over to her desk to input them into the computer. She ran the places against the people and several of them matched up. She searched for the companies and names on the internet and one of them struck a chord with her. The name Trevor Wilson jumped out at her, along with the company ARC. She put his name into the police database and came up with nothing, but that didn't put her off. Next she tried the DMV and she got a result.

Smiling triumphantly she showed Castle the result. "Recognise someone?"

When he saw who she had come up with, his smile joined hers. "Well, hello, Mr Pharmaceutical."

She put Alan Wilson into the police system and his record popped up, along with a series of aliases. "He's got quite a record for disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and he has a total lack of respect for authority." She read from his sheet. "But nothing in the last fifteen years, not even a parking ticket."

"So he either went straight.." Castle started.

"Or he stopped getting caught." She concluded for him.

Castle's eyes widened as he realised what had happened. "That's when he picked up the magic!"

Beckett raised a sceptical eyebrow at his statement, not quite believing him. "Really?"

"Yes, think about it." He sat forward and beckoned her in. "A guy with a record like his, doesn't just stop committing crimes. He just gets smart and finds a way to get away with it."

"I get that, Castle, but magic? Come on." She scoffed.

"You can't tell me you don't believe, especially if you remember how we started." He said, trying to make her see the truth. "Anything is possible Detective, even magic."

"Let's say you're right, we still have no evidence that he killed our vic." She told him, bringing him back to reality.

He sat in silence, trying to come up with anything that would suggest a reason he would want the victim dead, but came up empty. "Is there really no connection between them?"

"Not that I've found." She turned back to the computer, pulling up a new screen and inputting his aliases to see where that got them. A few minutes later she came up with a single name, one which sounded familiar – Alan Jezebel Trevaisier. "Castle."

He jerked out of his trance at her voice and looked at the screen with her. The name Jez jumped out at him, along with a much younger picture of their suspect. "I guess we found Jez."

"Yeah," Beckett sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "But still no connection to our vic." He phone dinged. She picked it up and read the message. "Perlmutter's got something."

They went down to the morgue to find the surly ME waiting for them. "Hey Perlmutter, what have you got?" Beckett said, by way of a greeting.

"Found a partial print on the body, right where he was stabbed." He handed her a photo of the print. "It actually matches up perfectly with a partial found on the murder weapon. It appears the killer plunged the knife into his neck and used his thumb to jam it in all the way."

"Who was it?" Castle asked, intrigued.

"A guy named Alan Trevaisier." Her head snapped up to meet Castle's in a moment of shock. They had their proof. It was exactly what they were looking for. Now they just had to arrest him.

"Thanks, Perlmutter." She said as they hurried out the door to arrange the paperwork.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Martha**

She opened the doors leading to the beach, envisioning the coming ceremony. She had managed to gather a few of her students to come with her today and get the house ready. As the weather was perfect, she decided that they should get married outside, under a white arch, decorated with some of Jim's roses. That would require the most work. Inside the house just needed a little sprucing up – removing the sheets, opening the windows to aerate the large building.

"Where shall we start, Mrs Rodgers?" A voice brought her back to the present.

She turned to find all six of her students looking at her expectantly. "Okay, Will and Emily can you go around and open up all the rooms, let them air out, pull off any dust sheets you find and make up all the bedrooms please. You'll find fresh bedsheets in the closets of each room." The two youngsters immediately headed upstairs, leaving the others with Martha. "The rest of you will be needed outside." She stepped out the door with them and walked them through her idea. Once she was sure they understood what she wanted, she left them to get sorted.

She watched as the back yard underwent a dramatic transformation. They borrowed seating from a nearby business and set it up on both sides of the door where she stood. They found an arch on the premises that wouldn't be missed and placed it at the top of the garden, right where her son would get married tomorrow. In between that and the door, her students placed white paving stones, creating a walkway for Kate to glide down. Ribbons of white, gold and silver were woven through the chairs and the archway, and small pots were placed alongside the aisle where the flowers would be placed later on.

Pleased with the garden, she checked on the other two to see how they were getting on. Walking through the house she found all the doors and windows open, with a light fresh scent permeating the house. All the beds were made, ready for anyone who wanted to stay the night and the bathrooms were all stocked up as well. She found the two students in the laundry room, washing the dust sheets.

"You've done a wonderful job guys, thank you." She praised them.

"No problem, Mrs Rodgers." Will answered, busy folding the last sheets. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"Actually, yes, there is." She told them. "We need cutlery, plates, glasses and so on. We don't have enough here for fifty guests. Could you go out and find what we need? There's a store in town where you should find everything we need."

"Sure. You said fifty people right?" When Martha nodded, they finished up and left to complete the errand.

She left the laundry room and took a walk around the inside of the house, looking for any other jobs that needed to be done. She found none. Will and Emily had obviously taken their role very seriously.

Satisfied that everything was ready inside, she went to find out how the others were getting on. When she got to the double doors she saw that they had finished their task. All that was left was for the flowers to be fitted in a few hours.

"Perfect. Just perfect." She applauded their efforts, they had managed to create exactly what she wanted with the limited amount of time and resources they had. They had even threaded hundreds of lights throughout the garden, in anticipation of the fading light after the wedding. A dance floor had been created underneath a gazebo to the left of the aisle, with a space for the DJ she had called in especially for the event.

It was all coming together better than she had hoped it would. She was getting quite excited herself, despite the fact it was her son's big day and not hers. She couldn't keep the smile off her face any longer.

Will and Emily returned with the kitchen ware soon after and they all gave it a quick wash so it was ready for the next day. They stacked the dishes and glasses on the counters and placed the cutlery into individual bowls so they would be easy to find.

Once that was complete Martha sent them all back to the city and settled in to wait for the others to deliver on their parts.

**Ryan and Jenny**

With a list on the wall in front of them and two cook books open, Kevin and Jenny were busy finishing up the buffet style meal they had decided on. Instead of a full dinner they had chosen to have finger foods, which was much easier for them to do with the time they had available. They had cooked a selection on party foods, which were cooling on several baking trays, and had moved on to making the sandwich fillings. They wouldn't make them until tomorrow morning, so they would stay fresh. The other snack foods, like nuts and crisps, would be opened up just before dinner.

An hour later they had finished all the preparations they could do today, the rest would be done in the morning. Noticing the time they packed a few essentials they needed for tomorrow, boxed up the food and headed out to the Hamptons.

**Esposito**

After he called his friend at lunchtime, Esposito made his way to the liquor store to see what Tommy had managed to gather for him. "Hey Tommy."

"Hi Javi. Come on back." He followed the owner through the store to the back room, where there were several crates stacked up by the door, along with some convenience store boxes. "I mananged to find everything you asked for. There are wines, beers, ales, several spirits and mixers, juices, bottled water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and, last but not least, a crate of champagne." He pointed to each type in turn, so Javier knew where everything was.

"Thanks dude, I owe you one." They headed back out front to settle the bill, then Esposito brought his car around the back so he could load it up. Once all the drinks were safely stored, he headed over to Lanie's to pick her up and head out of the city to the Hamptons.

**Lanie**

"Okay, time to start putting the cake together." Janie said, looking at the clock. They rose from the couch and make their way into the kitchen. On one side were four sponge cakes of varying flavours, which had been cooling for the last hour, on the other were the icing and decorations they needed.

Starting with the victoria sponge, they split the cake, then added a layer of buttercream and raspberry jam and put it back together. Then they covered it with a vanilla icing, and added a few decorative edible flowers to the edges.

Next was the strawberry layer, with a strawberry jam, icing and edible strawberry shaped and flavoured decorations, then came the lemon layer, with lemon filling, icing and lemon decorations.

The top layer, and the smallest, was the chocolate one, especially for Castle. This one had a chocolate fudge icing with chocolates dotted on the top.

Standing back they looked at the final product. It was a strange looking cake, with it's four different colours. It didn't look much like a wedding cake at all. Lanie smiled, thinking it was perfect, it matched the differing personalities of the people involved. The no nonsense, the sharp wit, the softness and the rich fun. It embodied the both of them, it was perfect.

"Beautiful." Was all she said. She caught sight of the clock behind it and her eyes widened. "I gotta get ready, Javi will be here soon."

They broke the cake down into it's four sections and boxed them up separately. Once it was done, she thanked her friend for her help and got herself ready for the weekend ahead.

**Jim**

"Hi ladies." Jim said as he walked through the open door to find his friends finishing up the flower arrangements.

"Hi Jim." Came a chorus of distracted replies from the women seated around the dining table. The whole room was filled with the scent of flowers and hundreds of small bouquets. The one that stood out was the brides, it was a selection of roses in all different colours, and was the largest of the lot.

"Wow, this is amazing." He told them, in awe at the sight and at what they had managed to accomplish. "You've really outdone yourselves."

The ladies all blushed at the praise, pleased that they had managed to pull it off in the few hours they had this morning.

Alana wiped her hands off in a towel and picked up a list, which she handed to Jim. "This is where all the flowers will need to be placed. All the boxes are named so they'll be easy to find and distribute. This box here are the bride and bridesmaids flowers, you can see which is which."

He read through the list, noting that different flowers were set for different locations. He also checked the labels on the boxes, so he knew what to look for when he got there.

"Thanks, Alana, for doing all this. It will mean so much to Katie."

"We'd do anything for you and Katie, Jim." They all agreed with her. "And we are happy to help give her the wedding she deserves."

"Thanks anyway." He saw that they were applying the finishing touches to the bridal arrangements. "I should be heading off in the next twenty minutes if I want to get out of the city by rush hour."

They picked up the boxes between them and loaded up the van he had hired specifically for the job of transporting the flowers without flattening them.

Once they were secure in the back he waved goodbye to the ladies and headed out of the city.

**Alexis**

The doorbell rang at 9:15 and Alexis raced over to answer it. "Hi Julia." She let the woman in and led her to the couch.

"Hey, how is it going? Did you manage to pull it off?" She asked as she sat down and put the box on the coffee table.

"It's going great. I think it's really going to happen tomorrow." Alexis gushed. "I spent all evening last night online looking at suits and dresses and finally found something for everyone. I'm off to pick up all the dresses this morning and the suits will be ready tomorrow morning, just in time for me to head down to the Hamptons with dad and Kate."

"Good. Good, I'm glad." Julia said. "Kate was always so excited every time I saw her. I was upset to lose my store, but not as much as losing that dress. I was devastated for Kate, which is why I am really glad I took this home with me that night." She opened the box and pulled out the delicate veil and comb combo.

"It's gorgeous." Alexis commented as she reached out to touch the wispy material. "The comb is beautiful, and it compliments the dress I found for her."

"I knew when I saw it that Kate was the one to wear it." She folded it gently back into the box and handed it over to the young woman. "Good luck Alexis, I hope it all works out for them."

Alexis let her out and took the veil upstairs, placing it under her bed for safekeeping. Seeing that she needed to collect the bridesmaid dresses, she picked up her purse and the printouts of the emails and orders and hurried out of the loft.

Luckily the store wasn't too far away and she was able to make it there quickly.

"Good morning miss." A chipper sales assistant greeted her as she walked through the door. "How can I help you today?"

"Hi, I'm here to pick up some dresses I ordered last night. Name of Alexis Castle." She told the girl.

"No problem, if you come with me I'll find your order for you." She led Alexis through the store to where the special orders were kept. "Do you have your order number?"

"Yes. Here it is." She reached into her bag and pulled out the confirmation she printed out this morning. She handed it to the clerk, who entered it into the computer by the door.

"Okay, Miss Castle. Three bridesmaid dresses, no alterations, paid for in full." She walked over to a nearby rack and pulled out three garment bags. With great care she folded them into boxes to make it easier for her to get them back to the loft.

Upon returning home she immediately got the dresses out of their boxes and hung them up, preventing them from getting creased. She smiled to herself, happy that things were going well so far. Next on her list was to go and see Mathilda King and hope she could get Kate's wedding dress from her. She still had an hour before she needed to be there so she called her grams, to see how things were going on her end.

The conversation was brief as Martha was extremely busy directing her helpers to where she wanted them, but she got the gist of it. There was still a lot to do, but with all the help she had, she believed they would be mostly done by early afternoon, ready for the others to start arriving.

Deciding it was probably best to be early to the meeting Alexis left for the second time that day. Traffic was a little heavier as it was nearing lunch time, but she still made it with ten minutes to spare.

She walked into the building's lobby, in awe at the size and scale of Ms King's operation. She gawked for a moment before remembering that it was probably not a good thing to keep the busy woman waiting. She headed for the reception desk and waited to be seen.

"Good Morning, welcome. How can I help you today?" A receptionist asked, with a big smile on her face.

"I have an appointment with Mathilda King at twelve." She told the woman. "My name is Alexis Castle." She waited as the receptionist checked the log and saw that Alexis was a priority client.

"If you'll come with me I'll take you up to see Ms King right away." She stood up and led Alexis to the elevators. They made it to the top floor in less that thirty seconds. The door opened to Ms King's private office, which took up the entire floor. She led the young woman to a desk and asked her to sit. Once Alexis was situated the receptionist made a call to Mathilda to tell her she was waiting in her office. With a smile at her, she left her to wait and went back downstairs to resume her duties.

Ten minutes later a regal looking older woman walked in from another part of the floor. This was the infamous Mathilda King. Alexis immediately stood up, showing respect to the older woman.

"Please, sit." Mathilda told her curtly. She sat and Ms King walked around her desk and took a seat, facing her. "Now, shall we discuss the dress."

"Yes, please." Alexis said, unsure what to say.

"This dress is a one of a kind, made especially for my summer collection. I never intended to sell it, it was just for show." She began, making Alexis worry that she had changed her mind. "But, like I said, I made it with Kate in mind. She is an extraordinary woman."

"Yes, she is." Alexis spoke up when it was clear Ms King had finished. "And she was really looking forward to tomorrow. It broke her heart when she found out that the dress she had originally intended to wear was destroyed. That's why we decided to make sure it happened."

Mathilda raised her hand. "You don't need to win me over Miss Castle. I have already decided to grant you your request."

Alexis sighed in relief. "Thank you Ms King. It will mean the world to Kate."

"I know it will." She answered. "Would you like to see it?"

She nodded vigorously, so Mathilda took her through to another room, where she obviously kept the special dresses. There on a hanger was Kate's wedding dress, ready and waiting for her. "It's beautiful." Alexis walked up to it and admired the fabric, and the decoration. It was exactly what she was looking for. "Thank you."

"Where would you like it to be delivered?" Ms King asked, waving off the gratitude.

"I think the Hamptons would be best." She took out a piece of paper with the address on it and handed it to the older woman, who read it quickly. She wrote a short note on it and gave it back to her.

"Give it to my receptionist, and she will arrange for it to be delivered in the morning." With that she turned away, ready to leave.

"Wait. What about payment?" Alexis asked her retreating figure.

"No payment needed." Came the reply as the older woman left her to make her own way out. Alexis was stunned, she had a wedding dress and she didn't have to pay for it. She walked to the elevator in a bit of a daze. On the ground floor she found the woman she spoke to earlier and gave her the note. After reading it she turned to the computer and started typing furiously.

"Okay, one wedding dress, the jewel of the summer collection, will be delivered to you Hamptons home tomorrow morning at ten." She swivelled the screen round so Alexis could check the order and address details were correct. When she nodded the woman typed a little more to send the order to their courier. "If you have any problems with the order, please call us and we'll investigate further." She handed Alexis a card, and wished her a good day. Alexis smiled her thanks and left the building, with a bounce in her step. Her part was finished now, until she picked up the suits in the morning.

With the rest of the day free, she decided to spend it outside, enjoying the late spring sunshine. As she wandered around the city, she found herself a few blocks away from the suit store. Deciding to check in on their progress, she headed in that direction.

She walked into the busy store and waited for an assistant to become free. She walked around, checking out the items on display, taking a closer look at some of them.

"Can I help you Miss?" A young male voice asked as she was looking at jackets.

"Yes," She whirled round to face the young man. "I placed an order last night and I wanted to come in and see how it's going."

"Okay, what was the name?" He asked as they walked over to a computer terminal.

"Alexis Castle." He typed the name in and waited a moment for the details to appear.

"Four suits, one with adjustments on the shirt and jacket and three no adjustments needed." He clicked on the adjustment section and read the information. "You're in luck, Miss Castle. Our tailor managed to make the necessary adjustments this morning and they are all ready to go now if you'd like."

She thought about it for a moment before saying that would be fine. Getting them now meant she wouldn't need to rush around in the morning collecting them. It also meant that they could head out to the Hamptons earlier if they chose to.

She thanked the clerk and took the suits from him, feeling positively giddy that everything had worked out perfectly. She took them home and hung them up with the dresses, all of them ready and waiting to be worn.

* * *

**Another long one for you today. It's all starting to come together now for the big finale. Only a few chapters left now. **

**Please R&R!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Castle and Beckett**

Once the warrant was signed they wasted no time in delivering it. They gathered several officers and went to his work to execute it.

They barged into his office, not giving him any chance to escape or attempt any spell-casting. "Alan Jezebel Trevaisier, you are under arrest for the murder of Grant Henderson." She read him his rights, ensuring the procedure was followed to the letter. He came quietly, surprising her, as his record showed a disregard for authority, and it unsettled her. It meant he was planning something. If he was as powerful as Beth said, they would have to be very careful when interviewing him. She shared a look with Castle, silently telling him her concerns. He nodded, indicating he understood and felt the same.

Back at the Precinct, they sat him in interrogation whilst they gathered what they needed. Not wanting to wait too long, they were sat with him within five minutes.

"Mr Trevaisier, you know why you're here?" She said, as they sat down opposite him.

"Yes, Detective. You have arrested me for murder." Alan said, succintly.

"And you've been advised of your rights?"

"Again, yes."

"Okay." She opened up her folder and took out a photo of the victim, placing it in front of him. "Why did you kill him?"

"Who says I did?" He didn't even look at the picture in front of him.

"We found evidence on the body that links you to his murder." She produced another photo, this one of the print found on the body. "You left a print."

That made him look. He saw his prints on the left and the two partials on the right. They matched.

"No. You can't have that." He whispered, slightly confused.

"Well, we do." She tapped the photo. "This proves that you touched the knife and the body at the same time. So do you want to try again?"

She waited for a few minutes, giving him time to absorb what she had told him. "Why did you kill Grant Henderson?"

He tried not to say anything, he didn't need to, but was finding it increasingly difficult to keep quiet. Something outside his control was happening to him, making him want to spill the truth to the detective and writer sat in front of him. He went through everything that had happened in the last few days and realised with horror that he had done this. He killed Aurora, and in doing so she had cast a spell on him. Using all the magic he thrust back into her she had turned it back on him, preventing him from protecting himself. Now he had a truth spell placed on him, and probably a protection spell on the couple across from him.

He tried to keep quiet, but it was impossible to do so right now. "He was a rival."

"A rival in what?" Castle asked.

"Magic." Was all he said, trying to keep his mouth shut. Castle and Beckett looked at each other, a little shocked, as they had no idea Grant was into magic, there was nothing in his life to indicate that.

"You killed him, because he was a rival in magic?" Beckett asked, sceptically.

"Yes," Jez told them, finally breaking. "He used to be a friend of mine, we grew up together and learned magic together. We even went into pharmaceuticals together. We fell out years ago over the correct use of magic, he didn't want to use it to manipulate, where I found it beneficial in my line of work. That's why I own a successful business and he just takes on odd jobs."

"What happened?" Beckett asked, now that he was opening up.

"I went to see him that day with the intent of killing him." He stated simply. "He was staring to interfere more and more in my business, nosing around where he wasn't wanted, and collecting evidence against me. I had to put a stop to it, so I picked up a knife and stabbed him in the neck. He died quickly, and I was free."

"Not free enough." She told him. "You just confessed to murder. I need you to write it all down and sign it please." She handed him a pad and paper and he began writing. She looked at Castle and they had a silent conversation.

_'Did that seem unusually easy to you?'_

_'Yes, it's almost as through he couldn't help himself.'_

_'There's something more going on here, and we don't know what it is.'_

_'I agree, it's very strange, and probably magic related.'_

She rolled her eyes at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking, and turned back to their suspect. Jez had finished his statement and was watching the couple closely. He could tell they were having a silent conversation about him. He thought back over the chaos he had caused for them and realised they shouldn't even had picked him up.

"How is the wedding planning going?" He asked, unable to help himself.

"Very well, actually, despite a series of random accidents, we are getting married this weekend as planned." Castle informed him, smiling widely at his fiance.

"How? I made sure there was no chance of that happening." He blurted out, telling them that he was involved in the destruction.

"That was you!" Beckett almost shouted. "You ruined everything?"

"Yes, I had to make sure I got away with it, so I sabotaged all your plans." He smirked a little at his success. "How are you still getting married though?"

"We have amazing friends and family." Castle said, warmly. "They took on all the responsibilities and told us not to worry, just to focus on this case. So we did."

They both stood, ready to book the guy and get on with their plans for the weekend. Walking out of interrogation, they found Captain Gates waiting for them. "Well done Detective."

"Thank you, Sir." They headed for her desk, ready to start the paperwork.

"Go home Kate, you have a wedding to prepare for." Gates told them, before walking back to interrogation to deal with their prisoner. She turned back to see them still at her desk. "I won't tell you again Detective."

They jumped into action and packed up her desk, leaving it tidy enough whilst she went on her month long honeymoon. Within fifteen minutes they were heading for home, ready to get married and begin their lives together.

* * *

**So the case is solved and they're now free for the wedding. Not long now!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Hamptons**

Martha heard the door bell and went to answer it. "Jim, welcome, come on in." He followed her into the large beach house, amazed at the transformation that had happened since the last time he'd been there.

"Wow, Martha, this is incredible." He caught a glimpse of the garden on their way to the kitchen. "It looks amazing."

"Thank you Jim." She blushed a little at the praise from the father of the bride, glad he approved. He placed the first box on the table, telling her there were several more.

He went back out to the van and found another two cars had just pulled up. Esposito and Lanie emerged from one, and Ryan and Jenny got out of the other.

They exchanged pleasantries and began the task of transporting everything into the house. It took the better part of an hour to get all the food, flowers and drinks into the house.

Once inside they put the food away immediately, storing it where it would stay freshest, some in the fridge and others in cool cupboards. It would all be arranged tomorrow after the wedding.

Then they started to arrange the flowers, using the list Jim had to position them correctly. It took them another hour to make sure they had them in exactly the right place.

By the time they had finished everyone was starving and decided to go out to eat. Martha recommended a restaurant in town, with a homey feel and a friendly atmosphere.

They enjoyed a selection of home cooked dishes, some good wine, water for Jim, and spent the entire evening talking about the details of the wedding tomorrow. They planned everything, from beginning to end, and prepared for every eventuality, hoping it would go off without a hitch.

**Castle, Beckett and Alexis**

They walked into the loft to find Alexis curled up on the couch with a book.

"Hey sweetie, how was your day?" Castle kissed her cheek as he passed her, heading for the kitchen.

"Fantastic, I got everything sorted that I needed to." She said cryptically. "How about you? Did you solve your case?"

"Yes, Alexis, we did." Kate told her hanging up her coat and kicking off her shoes. She followed Castle into the kitchen, intent on getting a glass of wine.

"That's great news." She was extremely relieved that it wouldn't be hanging over them this weekend. "That means we can get on our way earlier than expected, we could even leave tonight." She grabbed her phone and sent a message to Lanie, telling her they were home and that they would head up to join them later that evening.

"Are you sure?" Castle asked his daughter. "We still have to pack for the honeymoon after all."

"Yes, we'll manage." She repeated. "Why don't you two start packing and I'll sort out some dinner for us."

They watched as Alexis grabbed her bag and bounced out of the loft. Turning back to the bottle Castle shrugged at his daughter's exuberant exit from the loft. They tipped their glasses to each other and took a well deserved sip of the red wine.

"Shall we?" He extended an arm to her, which she took, shyly and made their way to their bedroom. Putting their glasses on the dresser they started grabbing clothes from the closet and dressers, ready to sort through what they wanted to take with them. Once they had several piles of clothing, they moved onto toiletries and necessities.

Castle pulled out two suitcases from the bottom of his closet and, as he passed Kate, kissed her on the back of the neck. She smiled in response and grabbed his shirt, pulling him in for a proper kiss. Both of them were breathless when they parted. The lust in their eyes was evident, but they knew they didn't have time. Alexis would be home shortly to cook dinner, then they would have to get on the road if they wanted to get to their beach house before it got too late.

When she returned, she found that her dad and Kate were still in the bedroom arguing about what they needed to take. She smiled at the good natured back and forth that was commonplace in their home and placed the groceries on the kitchen counter. She made a call to their car service, arranging for a pick up later that evening. Then she started on dinner.

An hour later their bags were packed and dinner was ready. Alexis called them to the table she had set and they enjoyed a quiet meal together. Both Kate and Castle tried to get the details of the wedding out of Alexis, but she refused to tell them anything. She just promised them that everything was sorted and all they had to do was show up, and get married.

Realising it wasn't going to work Castle changed the topic, making sure that Alexis had everything she needed for the month, and that she and Martha would be okay.

"Dad, we'll be fine." She said, exasperatedly. "You've left us alone before, this isn't any different. I'm pretty sure we can manage."

That reassured him, but he was still going to worry about them. They spent an hour enjoying their meal and talking about everything, just spending time together as a family before the big day.

The doorbell rang, signalling it was time to leave. Castle opened the door to find his driver, Johnson, waiting for them. Both he and Castle took the suitcases down to the car, whilst Kate and Alexis waited with Alexis's cardboard boxes. She had told them not to touch them, that she and Johnson would deal with them. She didn't want anyone to peek before it was time. The men returned and Alexis began taking her boxes down with their driver. Kate and Castle waited upstairs in the loft, checking that everything was switched off and secured for the weekend.

Once the car was loaded, Alexis texted her dad to say they could come down now. A few minutes later they appeared, so they got into the car and headed of to the Hamptons to join the rest of the gang.

**The Hamptons**

"Alexis has just texted." Lanie spoke up, over the murmurs of the group. "They'll be here in about half an hour."

"Thanks Lanie." Martha said, checking the time. "That gives us enough time to make sure everything is ready."

They pulled all the curtains closed, hiding the garden from view, so their first view of it would be tomorrow.

It was already dark when they arrived at the Hamptons. They stepped out of the car and were led into the house by Martha, whilst the others grabbed the boxes and suitcases and took them straight upstairs. Alexis directed Lanie and Jenny to bring the clothes to her room, where they got them out and hung them up. Alexis showed both women their dresses, and they gasped at the beautiful gowns. They praised the young woman for her choices, knowing she had chosen well. She blushed at the praise, then showed them the tuxes. They agreed that the men would look very handsome in them. That was where Ryan and Kevin found them once they had dropped of the suitcases in the main bedroom.

"What are you ladies up to?" Ryan asked as they walked into Alexis's room.

"Just admiring Alexis's choice in clothing." Jenny told him. "She chose very well."

"Where's Kate's wedding dress?" Lanie asked, as she realised they were one garment bag short.

"It's being delivered in the morning, with plenty of time to spare." The red head informed them.

"I can't wait to see it. I know it'll be perfect." Jenny said, clasping her hands together in anticipation.

"Well, we should get back downstairs before they start wondering where we are." Esposito told them, heading out of the room and leading them back to the others.

They found the rest of the gang sat around the table in the dining room, with cups of coffee in front of them, catching up with each other. They sat with them, making hot drinks and joining in the conversations. They talked for several hours, until Jim saw the time and mentioned that they should probably get some sleep if they want to be ready for the busy day ahead of them.

They said their good nights and headed to each of their rooms. Kate didn't realise how tired she was until she nearly fell into bed. Castle helped her climb beneath the covers before getting undressed and joining her. She was already asleep as he gathered her into his arms and kissed her gently. A few minutes later he closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.

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**Just three chapters left now, and nothing to stand in the way of their wedding.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

**Saturday – Preparations**

Alexis was on the look out at ten for the dress, so she got to the door before the bell rang. Her parents were still in bed and she didn't want to disturb them yet. She accepted the package from the courier and rushed upstairs with the dress to get it out. Lanie and Jenny were already there waiting to see it. She carefully opened the box and pulled off the tissue paper. They got their first glimpse of gold as Alexis slowly drew it from the box. They were speechless. They sat there with their mouths open, in awe at the elegance and beauty of the dress in front of them.

"Alexis." Lanie breathed. "Where did you find this?"

"It was part of the Mathilda King summer collection."

They whipped their eyes up to hers, shocked at the name she had just given them. "You got this from Mathilda King." Jenny's eyes widened even more. They both knew who the fashion designer was and were extremely impressed that Alexis had managed to get her to part with the jewel of her collection.

"Yes, she said she knew Kate from years ago, and that she had made this dress with her in mind." She told them. "She didn't even let me pay for it."

Their jaws dropped at that bombshell. The never would have expected Mathilda King to give away a dress for free, it was unheard of. Kate really must have made an impression on the older woman.

"It is gorgeous, Alexis." Lanie said, running her hands over the silky material. "It's perfect."

"Yo, guys. We got movement." Esposito called from behind the closed door. Alexis put the dress in the garment bag and hung it up, before hurrying out of the room to begin the day properly.

"Morning babe." Kate said as she kissed Castle awake. He responded by rolling on top of her and giving her a proper kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly feeding him more drugging kisses. They were interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"I know you're awake in there missy. Get yourselves out of that bed right now. We have places to be." Lanie shouted through the closed door. "You have fifteen minutes, or I'm coming in there after you."

They both giggled at being caught canoodling when they had a wedding to get ready for. Castle lifted up off of Kate and pulled her with him into the adjoining en suite. They shared a shower and spent most of the time touching and kissing each other.

Dressing in comfortable clothing they opened the door to find Lanie on the other side about to barge in. "Finally, I was just about to see what was taking so long." She turned on her heel and led them down the stairs towards the front door.

"Where are we going?" Castle asked, when he saw they were heading out.

"We're all going out for breakfast, then us girls are going to get our hair and make up done at a spa in town, whilst the boys finish preparing the food." Lanie led them to the waiting cars and they all made their way into town.

Breakfast was actually lunch by the time they got seated. They ordered light meals, eating little as they were too excited by the coming nuptuals to really eat much.

The finished up and paid the bill. They lingered a little longer, Kate and Castle seeming reluctant to part ways, even though it's only for a few hours. Finally, Lanie had to drag Kate up the street and Ryan and Esposito manhandled Castle into the waiting car.

"I know you love the man, and rarely leave his sight, but we have to get ready Kate." Lanie told her. "You'll see him again soon enough." The four of them walked the short distance to the hairdresser and beauticians. Martha had told them she would oversee the men and get ready at the house, so she had gone back with them.

They were led through to the back of the building where they were sat down in a line. A moment later four young women entered from the door behind them.

They spent the first half an hour discussing styles and looks. Kate chose to have her hair in an elegant knot, Lanie chose to have hers curled, Jenny wanted hers in a simple bun and Alexis wanted hers in a half up do with a few curls worked in. For make up they left it up to the beauticians, trusting that they would do their best for them.

The hair was the first thing the hairdressers tackled. The washed, dried, sprayed, curled and pinned their hair into the styles they had chosen. Kate watched as the transformation happened, whilst the others talked amongst themselves. There was one thing that was missing today, her mother. She reached up and touched the ring she always wore around her neck.

Alexis saw the look on Kate's face and understood immediately what she was thinking. She reached over and touched her arm. "She would be so proud of you Kate, and I know she's watching over you."

"I just wish she could be here to celebrate my wedding day with me." She whispered back to the young woman.

"She is, Kate. She'll always be with you, in everything you do." She squeezed her arm once more and sat back again, letting the girl finish their hair.

Next they moved onto the make up. The beauticians decided to go with natural and minimal for everyone, adding a little more eyeliner for Lanie and Kate. They left the colour for lipstick up to each of them, so they could re apply as needed throughout the night.

Two hours after they arrived, they were ready. They were impressed with the final results and tipped the girls generously. Stepping outside they found their car waiting to take them back to the house.

"Okay, what do we need to do?" Castle said, rolling up his sleeves.

Martha handed them the list Jenny had written out, detailing what they needed to do this afternoon. They had to make the sandwiches, so Castle went to the fridge to start pulling out the fillings. Ryan fetched the bread and Esposito grabbed plates and Jim selected the knives they would need. Once they had everything set out they checked what Jenny wanted. Between them the divided the list and began the mammoth task of making enough sandwiches for fifty people.

They spent over an hour making them, stopping between each batch to wrap them up and label them. Next they started making the salad, slicing tomatoes and cucumber, and washing and tearing lettuce. They covered the bowls up and placed them back in the fridge to stay fresh.

They ticked those two items off the list and checked to see what was left. Crisps and nuts would be opened up just before they could eat, the cooked foods were fine, they just needed to be uncovered, and the cakes and sweets were individually wrapped so people could help themselves to those.

That just left the fruits, which they washed, sliced, diced and cubed, then put into separate bowls and covered with cling film. Ryan crossed that off their list as Castle and Esposito put the last bowls in the fridge.

"Well guys, that's everything for now." Ryan said, reading through the list once more. "The rest will be done after the ceremony."

"Perfect." Castle saw the time as he dried his hands. "And just in time too. Let's get dressed."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

The girls returned and immediately ushered Kate upstairs, so she wouldn't be seen by anyone before it was time. Alexis handed a dress each to Lanie and Jenny and they went into their rooms to change. Alexis then took the four tuxes and gave them to Martha, who had followed them upstairs and took them into her room, ready for the boys when they finished their task for the day. Shutting the door Alexis turned to Kate and took a deep breath, this was the moment of truth. First off she handed Kate the small box, knowing it was the one item that had been saved from the trail of destruction left by Jez. Kate opened the box and found the veil nestled inside. The comb had been expertly woven into it and the diamonds shone in the afternoon sun. She smiled at the young girl, glad that this one piece had been lucky enough to survive.

Alexis pulled Kate off the bed and walked her to the closet. She took out the garment bag and hung it on the hook on the door. She then left it to Kate to open the bag and see what was inside.

Kate slowly drew the zipper down to reveal the golden dress. She gasped in shock at the beautiful sight before her. It was better than she had ever imagined. She reached out to feel the material and watched how it flowed like water past her fingers. She loved the deep red sash in the middle, it was a bold statement. A flash of light caught her eye and she looked closer at the sleeves to see small diamonds embedded near the edges.

It was exquisite, and she turned to Alexis, speechless. "Thank you." She whispered. "How did you find this?"

"It was a gift from Mathilda King." Kate sucked in a breath as she recognised the name. "She made this dress with you in mind, and when I asked if I could buy it for you she said yes."

Kate turned back to the dress and looked at it again in a new light. To have Mathilda King give her a gorgeous wedding dress to wear, let alone her crowning jewel made her head spin. It was the last thing she expected, but it was the best surprise in the world. She hugged Alexis, unable to express her gratitude and tried to keep from crying and ruining her make up.

"Thank you Alexis, for everything." She whispered before letting her go.

"There's no need to thank me. I just wanted to make sure you got married this weekend." She told the detective. "It's been a long time coming, and we weren't going to let anything stop it from happening."

It warmed her heart to hear the conviction in the young woman's tone. She smiled again, over the moon that she was finally becoming a member of their family, and that they had welcomed her with open arms.

The time had come to put it on. First off she needed her lingerie, but she had to admit she was a little embarrassed to tell her future daughter in law what she needed.

Alexis saw the blush and discomfort on Kate's face and knew that what was coming would be uncomfortable for both of them.

"I need something from my suitcase." She told the red head quietly.

"Let me see where the guys are first, okay?" When she saw Kate's nod, she slipped out of the room and headed for the master bedroom. Thankfully it was empty. She stopped Martha, who was already dressed and ready to go, and asked her to keep the men downstairs until she gave the all clear. Once she was sure the message had been passed on she grabbed Kate, the dress and the veil and pulled them into the bedroom. She hung the dress up and placed the veil on the dresser, then turned to Kate and told her she would get dressed and be back in ten minutes to help with the finishing touches.

Kate was relieved that she wouldn't scar the poor girl any more than she obviously was. She rushed to her suitcase and pulled out the Victoria Secret bag she had bought especially for this occasion. In it was a matching set she had caught him eyeing up on one of the rare occasions he was able to join her for a day out in the city. She stripped off and drew on the silky underwear. Next she drew on the stockings, which she attached to the garter belt, then she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She looked like a seductress, so she smiled, knowing the effect it would have on Castle when he undressed her later.

A knock on the door startled her out of her lascivious thoughts and she knew who it was even before she spoke. "Kate, can I come in?" Alexis asked politely.

"Just a minute." She called back, then walked over to the dress. She carefully pulled it from the hangar and unzipped it. After stepping into it and pulling it up to cover the racy underwear she called Alexis is to help.

Alexis opened the door slowly, hoping she was covered up. She relaxed when she saw her in the dress, just waiting to be zipped back up. The young woman closed the door and moved to zip her up. Then she grabbed the sash from where it had fallen and fastened it around the detective's waist.

Kate smoothed the dress into place and found it was a perfect fit, it hugged her body like a second skin and fell down to her feet like a waterfall. With her three inch white heels it would be the perfect length. Alexis picked up the veil and instructed her to sit at the vanity. She carefully threaded the veil into the knot on the top of Kate's head and arranged the veil around her body.

The final look was breathtaking, she looked indescribable. The whole ensemble created an ethereal effect, and it was sure to affect everyone who was attending.

A second knock on the door was followed by Lanie and Jenny, who all stood speechless when Kate stood up to greet them. Alexis hurried past them to shut the door, closing them in.

Kate looked from one face to the next, seeing the pride and awe imprinted on each one. "Do you like it?" She asked, shyly.

They all nodded silently, unable to form actual words to describe the transcendent sight of Kate on her wedding day. The dress was exquisite, but she was glowing from within, adding an extra level to the complete look. There was no way anyone would be able to look anywhere but at her tonight.

The guys found their suits right where Martha told them they were. They each took their own suit back to their empty rooms and got dressed. They were the perfect fit for each of them and were perfect for an intimate wedding.

Martha showed the guests out into the garden, and led them to their seats, arranging them with regards to whether they were bride or groom. Over the next half an hour all the guests arrived, meaning the wedding would be able to start on time. The last person to arrive was Captain Gates, who was dressed in a crisp white suit, and was ready to marry the writer and his muse.

Jim knocked on the door to the master bedroom and waited for Alexis to answer it before entering. He was met by a wall of women standing between him and his daughter. Alexis led him around them and saw the reason for their stupor. Kate stood there looking resplendent in a golden gown, studded with diamonds and finished with a deep red sash around her waist.

Tears sprang into his eyes at the sight in front of him. His daughter looked like an angel. "Your mother would be so proud of you, Katie." He said, unknowingly repeating the words Alexis had spoken just hours before. He kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks dad." She whispered back to him, smiling shakily. "I miss mom."

"Me too, but I know she's watching over us and she's smiling upon you today." Jim told his teary eyed daughter.

Kate nodded quickly, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, she couldn't cry now, it would ruin the perfectly applied make up and leave her with red eyes.

Martha started knocking on doors, calling out that it was time to take their places. The guys answered the doors immediately and headed downstairs, taking their places at the top of the aisle. Castle caught sight of Captain Gates and did a double take. He turned to Ryan and Esposito and asked them what was going on.

"She's an ordained minister." Ryan told him.

"Yeah, she's marrying you today." Esposito added.

Castle was shocked to hear that. He was marrying the love of his life today and Gates was the one overseeing the ceremony. He took his place and waited for Kate to walk down the aisle.

A knock on the door, followed by Martha entering woke everybody up. "It's time people." She pushed Lanie and Jenny out the door, who were followed by Alexis. "Flowers are in the kitchen!" She called after them. Then she turned to get a good look at the bride. She was stunned, the transformation from hard boiled detective to beautiful bride was amazing. She kissed Kate on the cheek and told her she looked absolutely stunning. "Whenever you're ready darling." Then she left her and her dad alone in the room. This was it, her wedding was actually happening, she was going to marry her best friend in a matter of moments. She slipped on her shoes, took her father's arm and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Gathered in the kitchen were her three bridesmaids, waiting for her. Alexis handed her a bouquet of roses and she noticed that no two flowers were the same colour. It was a beautiful arrangement. She caught the scent of the flowers and brought them to her face to take a deep breath. It grounded her and suddenly she was ready. She nodded to the others, telling them she was ready. Alexis poked her head around the door to let Martha know to start the music. They picked up their bouquets and got into position.

* * *

**It's time! She's ready, he's ready, let's do this!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Well, here it is, the big finale. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The music started and everyone turned to watch the parade. Castle watched as his daughter walked down the aisle first, followed by Jenny, then the Maid of Honour, Lanie. The reached the top of the aisle and stepped off to the side. The wedding march began and everyone got to their feet to welcome the bride.

He saw Jim first, as he led his daughter out of the house. Then he saw her. And everything else faded away. She looked radiant in a shining gown of gold, and the love on her face produced a glow that you couldn't help but bask in. She seemed to glide up the aisle towards him, and her eyes never left his.

Once she reached him, her father kissed her cheek and placed her hand in Castle's before taking his seat beside Aunt Theresa.

"Please be seated." Gates said, startling Kate. The guests took their seats whilst Kate whipped her head round to see her boss performing the ceremony. She was shocked to say the least. The Captain had never shown any interest in doing anything that would benefit Castle and now, here she was, marrying them. It blew her mind.

"We are gathered here today to witness the marriage of Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett. If anyone should know of any reason why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, may you speak now or forever hold your peace." She waited a moment to ensure no one stood to disrupt the ceremony. "Good, now let's get you to married." A chuckle ran through the guests at the quip. Even Castle and Beckett cracked a smile at her boss.

"I have only know these two for a few years, but I could see the connection they had from the very beginning. Falling in love and getting married seemed like the natural progression. Whilst I might not be the biggest fan of Mr Castle's methods, he has been a rock for Detective Beckett through tough times. He has also, on occasion, provided some valuable insight on cases and some much needed levity when things get tough." She shocked the crowd with her praise of him. "Kate and Rick have prepared their own vows." She handed the lead off to Castle, who turned to fully face his fiance.

"Kate, I love you." He stated simply. "These last six years have been an amazing ride. I found a muse, a best friend, a lover and now a wife. I'm thankful every day that I get to wake up next to you. I don't know how I got so lucky as to win your affections, but I plan to spend the of my life proving that I'm worthy of your love. You are the most remarkable woman, Kate Beckett and I'm glad you walked into my book party and my life six years ago. I love you with all my heart. You are my other half and my soul mate."

Kate had to clear her throat as she was so overcome with emotion. "Rick, you saved my life. I was drowning in sorrow and you rescued me. Your words, your books, your imagination, they all drew me back from the brink. I loved you before we even met for saving me. That all changed when we actually met for the first time." She smiled at the memory. "It took two years for me to feel that way again, but a series of circumstances prevented me from acting on it. It worked out for the best that way. It gave us a chance to grow as friends and build a solid foundation for our relationship to stand on. You bring light and laughter into my life. I know that a lot of women would kill to be in my shoes today, but you chose me. I'm always amazed when I wake up in the morning and see your face before me. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you make me. I love you Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle, more than you will ever know."

There was a lengthy silence following the vows as many people surreptitiously dried their eyes and cleared their throats.

Captain Gates asked for the rings. Lanie took Kate's bouquet and handed his ring to Kate and Esposito handed hers to Castle, then they turned back to each other.

"Repeat after me. I, Richard Edgar Castle, take you, Katherine Houghton Beckett to be my lawful wedded wife"

"I, Richard Edgar Castle, take you, Katherine Houghton Beckett to be my lawful wedded wife"

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you from this day forward til death parts us."

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you from this day forward til death parts us."

He slid the ring into her finger and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her ring.

"Kate, repeat after me. I, Katherine Houghton Beckett, take you Richard Edgar Castle, to be my lawful wedded husband."

"I, Katherine Houghton Beckett, take you Richard Edgar Castle, to be my lawful wedded husband."

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you from this day forward til death parts us."

"I promise to love, honour and cherish you from this day forward til death parts us."

She placed the ring on his finger and repeated his move, kissing his finger as well. Then she took hold of his other hand as well.

"Do you, Katherine Beckett, take this man to be your husband?"

"I do."

"Do you, Richard Castle, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers vested in my by the state of New York, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

They leaned in and gave each other a chaste kiss, not wanting to go too far in front of their closest friends and family.

When they separated they were met by cheers and applause, along with a chorus of "about time". Taking her left hand he led her down the aisle, ducking under the shower of confetti that flew from everyone's hands. They were followed by the bridesmaids and best men all the way into the kitchen, where champagne was waiting for them. The waiters (Martha's acting students) had quietly set all the food and drinks out whilst they were getting married, and had stayed to help out afterwards.

Martha led Kate and Rick into the large dining room, which had been transformed into a receiving room of sorts, where they could greet all the guests and store the wedding gifts for the time being.

They spent the next hour mingling with their guests, sipping on champagne and rarely leaving each others side.

A call came out that dinner was ready, so they began to make their way into the kitchen. The counters were filled with plates and dishes containing a lot more food that Ryan and Jenny had made yesterday. Obviously someone had ordered extra food so they wouldn't run out. Kate and Rick were ushered to the front of the line, giving them the first choice. They put a little of everything on their two plates and took them outside, where the garden had been transformed again. There were now several large tables where the benches had been and soft music was playing from the DJ station. They sat at the table nearest the beach and dug in. With their arms wrapped around each other, they took food from both plates and even fed each other, not wanting to relinquish their hold on each other. Slowly the others started to filter out into the garden and join them at the tables.

Waiters threaded their way through the tables, offering a selection of finger foods and drinks to the guests.

A hush descended as the wedding cake was brought outside and they got their first look at it. Both Castle and Kate smiled as they saw they cake they had finally agreed upon placed in front of them. A four tiered cake, made up of four different flavours, it was even arranged in the order they had wanted. Their friends had really outdone themselves to pull it off in just one day.

They stood when Martha handed them a knife, Castle put it in Kate's hand and closed his over the top. They placed it on the sponge layer and waited whilst practically everybody took photos of them. Once the flashes died down they drew the knife down through the cake, completing the first slice.

Two waiters stepped forward to carry the cake carefully back into the kitchen to cut it into slices. A few minutes later they brought out two slices, one chocolate and one sponge for the married couple, proving they knew exactly what they liked. Kate picked up the chocolate whilst Castle picked up the sponge, and they fed each other a bite of their chosen flavour. Placing the cakes back on the plates they kissed each other, tasting the combined flavours of vanilla and chocolate on their tongues.

"Alright, you two. There's plenty of time for that later." Martha's voice interrupted them. "Now it's time for your first dance as husband and wife." The opening line of Andrew Belle's 'In My Veins' began playing as Castle led her to the dance floor. He pulled her close and kissed her softly on the lips before they started swaying gently to their song. They stared into each others eyes, smiling softly as they listened to the lyrics which described their relationship perfectly. They were in each others veins.

"Castle, I love you." Kate whispered as they lost themselves in the song.

"I love you too, Kate." He said back, before kissing her again.

She sighed happily and laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying their first dance of many.

A tap on his shoulder brought Rick back to reality. He found Jim and Alexis waiting expectantly. "It's time for the father-daughter dance, Rick. Can I cut in?"

"Of course." He reluctantly let go of his wife, leaving her in the capable hands of her father, and held out his own for his daughter. The two couples started dancing to a new song, and were soon joined by others. The song ended and Castle and Jim both bowed to their partners, causing them to giggle and blush. Jim offered his arm to Alexis and led her back to the tables.

Castle grabbed his wife and kept her on the dance floor. He wasn't ready to stop yet. He felt like he could dance all night, as long as she stayed with him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she put hers around his neck.

"Well, Mrs Castle, we made it. We finally got married today."

"Yes, we did Mr Castle. Yes we did."

"And it was all due to the hard work and dedication of our amazing family and friends."

"We'll have to thank them properly, Rick. It couldn't have been easy for them, and it must have cost a fortune."

"We should reimburse them the costs and buy them each a special gift to show our appreciation."

"Yes, we should do that. Even a little something for Gates."

"Definitely. That was a complete shock when I saw she would be officiating."

"Same here, I never thought in a million years that she would marry us. It was a nice surprise."

"Speaking of surprises, I love that dress on you, Kate, but I will love it even more on the floor of our bedroom."

"That's not the only surprise there is Rick."

"Oh really, now I'm intrigued."

"Well you'll have to wait a little longer for that one, but I will tell you one thing."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I'm ready to have a baby."

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**That's it, the end of the story. What did you think?**


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